Guidelines for
sustainable
management of
churches
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This report is based on work undertaken for the international, collaborative
research project, ‘Sustainable Management of Historic Rural Churches in
the Baltic Sea Region’(SMC), part financed by the Central Baltic Interreg IVA
Programme 2007-2013.
Conservation Centre Kanut would like to thank all project partners, and all
those organisations and individuals who have worked closely with project
partners for their time and support.
The project partners:
Conservation Centre Kanut (CCK)
Tallinn University of Technology (TUT)
Uppsala University (UU)
Published by: Conservation Centre Kanut
Written by: Derek Worthing, Tor Broström, Mikael Hammelev Jörgensen,
Joakim Hansson, Kaire Tooming and Ann Vainlo.
Designed by: Madis Kivi
Copyright of all photographs belongs to photographers.
Copy of this guidelines can be downloaded http://smcproject.org.ee
Conservation Centre Kanut Pikk tn 2 Tallinn 10123, Estonia
Project Manager (CCK): Kaire Tooming
Representative (TUT): Targo Kalamees
Representative (UU): Tor Broström
Tallinn, December 2013
ISBN 978-9949-33-478-0 (pdf)
Index
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Maintenance Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Maintenance plans and programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Overview, context and concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Records and archives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Conservation Management Plans: what are they and
why are they used? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Security, e.g. fire, theft and disasters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Conservation Plans as tools for the sustainable management
of built cultural heritage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
What is Cultural Heritage, and why is it important? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Conservation: Key ideas and Principles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
The process of making a Conservation Management Plan (CMP) . . . . . 11
A Two Stage Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Use and reuse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Delivering and managing the CMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Getting started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Financing the CMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Undertaking a conservation management plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Assessing significance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
APPENDICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
The need for clarity and openness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Checklist for making an inventory of church buildings and contents . 45
Categorizing cultural values: using value typologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Examples of documentary materials for value assessment . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Developing and applying policies and actions . . . . 26
Official sources of documentary material for churches
in Sweden and Estonia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Developing Policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Conservation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Indoor Climate and Energy Efficiency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Finance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Management structures and processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Examples of value typologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Some examples of factors which may affect
the vulnerability of the significance of a place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Information required for carrying out condition surveys . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
An example of a schedule for cyclical maintenance.
In case there are national or local standards and guidelines,
they should be applied . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Foreword
This report is part of the Central Baltic Interreg IVa program project Sustainable Management of Historic Rural Churches in the Baltic Sea Region.
These guidelines are intended for professionals and laymen involved in the management of historic churches. The objective is to provide a general methodology and
tools to establish a conservation management plan for any church.
The guidelines are not heavily referenced; for background and in depth reading,
the reader is referred to an extensive literature survey, which will be published in a
separate report. Furthermore, indoor climate issues are covered in another separate
report.
The main author of the report is Derek Worthing, who was a visiting professor at
Gotland University in 2012 and 2013. The co-authors are Tor Broström, Mikael Hammelev Jörgensen, Joakim Hansson, Kaire Tooming and Ann Vainlo.
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Foreword
SECTION 1
Overview, context
and concepts
Conservation Management
Plans: what are they and
why are they used?
Conservation of the built cultural heritage is based
on the notion that certain buildings and spaces represent and embody significant social and cultural
values which society chooses to protect. A Conservation Management Plan (CMP) is concerned with
the development of effective management strategies and processes for the protection and enhancement of the built cultural heritage. The general
approach is sometimes known as “values-based
management”. At its heart is a focus on the need to
identify the cultural significance of a place. The cultural significance of a place is made up of the totality of the values which it embodies and represents.
A CMP uses an assessment of cultural significance
as the base from which to develop policies and actions which are aimed at protecting what is important about a place.
You cannot protect something unless you understand why it is important, and are able to identify,
measure and articulate what it is about the place
(or object) that constitutes that importance . It is
also necessary to be able to identify how the different elements of the place contribute to that importance. A CMP is therefore concerned with determining why a place is valuable and what aspects of the
place embody and represent those values. A CMP
is based on the notion that through a comprehensive understanding of the particular cultural significance of a place better informed management decisions can be made that will respect, conserve and
potentially enhance that which is important about
a place. However, a CMP must also set out how that
cultural significance can be protected (and perhaps
enhanced) through management decisions and actions. Therefore, a Conservation Management Plan
must also articulate policies and tactics, and the
strategies and processes for implementing them.
In order to be effective, it is important that there
is an integration of value-led decision making at all
levels of the organization that owns and/or occu-
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5
In some cases, local opinions were expressed very early. When the Granhult church was to be demolished in the first half of the 19th century,
the local population took over the responsibility for the old wooden
medieval church, which dated from the early 13th century. The Granhult church, Småland, Sweden. Photo: Joakim Hansson.
pies the place in question. The CMP must therefore
not only address the issues of what to protect, how
to protect it, how to prioritize actions and how to
deal with conflicting interests, but it also must synchronize this with the organizational culture and
processes in order that people at all levels within
SECTION 1 » Overview, context and concepts
the organization (and those from the outside who
will either work on the building or whose actions
impact it) will understand how their actions and activities interact with the cultural significance of the
place.
The idea of values-based management therefore is
centered on:
►► The principle that in order to protect and man-
age a place you need to know why it is important, and what elements contribute to that importance.
►► The fact that the importance of the place (and
what it is that contributes to that importance)
cannot be inferred or assumed, but needs to
be demonstrated through the development of
a thorough understanding of the place and an
assessment of its cultural significance, which is
arrived at through a rigorous, transparent and
objective process.
Conservation Plans as
tools for the sustainable
management of built
cultural heritage
Conserving the built cultural heritage can be seen
as a sustainable activity because of the way in
which it can bring social, economic and environmental benefits. In addition to these broad criteria,
there are also a number of implicit characteristics
that help define sustainable activity. These include:
Besides the church building, there can be other pieces around the church that need to be taken care of. These tombstones were taken out of the
church in the 1890s. The stones were collected and put under a roof. The interest of the congregation members was not great at first, but grew rapidly
when they understood that the stones had been their ancestors´ tombstones. The Hablingbo church, Gotland, Sweden. Photo: Joakim Hansson.
►► Social justice and equity.
►► be holistic in nature and content, in that it sets
►► Quality of Life.
►► The participation of citizens in decision making.
►► Transparency and Accountability.
A CMP can be considered to be a tool/ methodology for the sustainable management of built cultural
heritage in that it emphasizes the need to:
►► take a long-term view, including a consideration
of threats in the future (and encouraging plans
and processes which mitigate against vulnerability).
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6
the historic place in its wider context and integrates issues and concerns.
►► understand a place and articulate and debate its
values as a precursor to making decisions.
►► involve stakeholders not just in how the place is
managed but also in deciding how important it
is and why.
►► manage change while protecting that which is
valued by society.
►► adopt a precautionary principle approach.
SECTION 1 » Overview, context and concepts
►► be rigorous and methodical in obtaining infor-
mation and analyzing it.
►► demonstrate transparency in decision making.
►► allow decision makers to be held accountable
for decisions.
What is Cultural Heritage,
and why is it important?
The Built Cultural Heritage consists of the buildings,
spaces and objects that are believed to make some
contribution to society, i.e. they have a value which
is above and beyond their use value. Some of these
are protected through legislation. The benefits
that accrue to society through the protection and
enhancement of the built cultural heritage are connected with such ideas as the importance of familiarity, identity, guidance and enrichment, and so it
can be suggested that conserving elements of the
past serves present and future society because:
►► there are significant benefits for the social, psy-
chological and political well-being of individuals, groups and nations because of the physical
reminder of, and connection to, the past provided by the built cultural heritage, which tells us
about who we are and the past that has formed
us.
►► there are, potentially, significant educational
benefits. The physical remnants of the past are
historical records that are important as tangible
expressions of the stories of history. We can
understand aspects of past societies through
analysis of the physical remnants of the past,
but also the historic environment is a focus and
an opportunity for a less “expert” engagement
with the lives and experiences of previous generations.
►► the structures that make up the historic environ-
ment are resources that should and can be used,
and reused, for (environmental, social and financial) sustainability reasons.
►► the historic environment contributes to a sense
of place through its character and visual aesthetic.
►► there is the potential to attract tourist revenue.
Perhaps the most important point is that the built
cultural heritage is an inheritance that is irreplaceable and therefore precious. There is a responsibility to past generations as well as future generations.
Conserving built cultural heritage is what civilized
societies do.
Conservation: Key ideas
and Principles.
Conservation Principles
Conservation principles should inform any decision
or action and should be used to judge the appropriateness of interventions which affect a building,
a space or an object. Conservation principles are
based on the sense that the materials of buildings
form a physical expression of the cultural values of
INDEX
7
In the Levide church, you can see an early principle of truth and honesty conservation work. The akantus paintings were made during the
18th century, but there were problems with humidity in the church
and the paintings were restored in the early 19th century. In this restoration, the painter used another colour to show the additions. The
Levide church, Gotland, Sweden. Photo: Joakim Hansson.
the place and that all the developments throughout time that are embodied in, and represented by,
these buildings are potentially of significance.
The way that conservation principles are expressed,
or indeed interpreted, may vary from country to
SECTION 1 » Overview, context and concepts
approach to change and says “do as much as necessary to care for the place and to make it useable,
but otherwise change it as little as possible so that
its cultural significance is retained” ( Australia ICOMOS, 1999).
►► truth and honesty. Along with minimal inter-
Reconstruction is now rarely done. In the Levide church, the Passion
paintings from the early 20th century were over-painted in the 1950s
because of heavy moisture damage. In the last restoration, there was
a desire to repaint the paintings after old pictures. This was carried out
because the paintings did not interfere with any other paintings or interior details. The Levide church, Gotland, Sweden. Photo: Joakim Hansson.
A marble imitation from the first half of the 12th century. The artist had
probably never seen real marble so he could not make it in a realistic
way. However, this is an important piece of evidence of how the medieval painter imitated the real material. The Källunge church, Gotland,
Sweden. Photo: Joakim Hansson.
country and from organization to organization, and
some may be given higher prominence than others.
However, the requirement to value, enhance and
protect authenticity is universal.
derstanding the development of a place. However minimal intervention not only refers to the
materials, it also refers to all actions in the place,
including additions, new buildings and changes
in use. The idea of minimal intervention is not
intended to stifle change but to ensure that any
changes protect and enhance cultural significance. The Burra Charter emphasizes a cautious
The following principles are also present in most national and international guidelines:
►► minimal intervention. This notion emphasizes
the importance of materials as evidence in un-
INDEX
8
vention, this can be seen as perhaps the most
important (and oldest) of the principles. With
repairs, for example, the new work should be in
harmony with but, at the same time, distinguishable from the old. What this means in practice
will vary with circumstances and context. It is
also, of course, a matter of judgement and interpretation. A basic principle of conservation
is that all interventions in the materials should
be handled “truthfully” to make clear what is
“original” and what has changed. This is in order
to avoid producing a parody or facsimile of the
past or pretending that something is what it is
not (hence the issue of authenticity is relevant
here). As with the concept of minimal intervention, the idea of honesty is most often used in
reference to repairs to materials. However, as a
principle, it should be applied to all interventions in the historic environment, including alterations, additions and indeed new buildings
in historic areas, which generally should respect
the historic context, and certainly not detract
from its significance, but should also be clearly
distinguishable in design and form from the old
building(s). The issue is one of truthfulness, but
it also involves acknowledging that changes
made now are part of the continuing history
and development of the place. The physical evi-
SECTION 1 » Overview, context and concepts
dence of the way that the building and the site
have evolved over time is important, and such
changes should be respected as they help tell
the story of the place and the society that made
those changes.
►► reversibility. This is quite a pragmatic principle in
that it allows current elements to be replaced by
future, possibly more appropriate options, perhaps where a repair is not functioning properly
or where it is causing unforeseen damage to adjacent materials. As with other principles, reversibility could equally apply to actions other than
repairs: for example, with the physical aspects of
the introduction of a new use, where the design
allows for the (future) removal of the new structure without adverse impact on the “original”
materials.
►► fit the new to the old. This again works at a
number of levels and covers “molding” the new
to the old because this will usually reduce the
amount of original material lost in repair work
and may, for instance, reinforce the value of
“plastic” repairs in stonework. Equally, as with
the other principles referred to, it should also,
as a concept, influence how new uses, additions
and new buildings are “fitted in” with the existing.
►► the importance of maintenance in prolonging
the life of the materials (and hence the significance represented by them).
►► the importance of the relationship of a site to its
surroundings. This relates to the sense that the
context of a building is important and that its
All historical layers are important for the integrity of the building. None
should be preferred over others. Three different layers of vault paintings, dating from the late Middle Ages to the Baroque, were found and
displayed during conservation work in the Martna church, Estonia.
Photo: Kaire Tooming.
In the Levide church, there are medieval paintings from different
times. In this painting, there are three layers, and in the oldest the cross
interferes with the painting from the 15th century. The painting was
heavily restored around 1900. The new layers partly destroyed the old
ones. Here there was no possibility of going back to the original. The
Levide church, Gotland Sweden. Photo: Joakim Hansson.
loss detracts from the cultural significance of a
place. This would also apply to objects within a
building, in which the removal of objects would
inevitably reduce their significance, and that of
the building.
of establishing its significance and also of managing the care and protection of the place. The
need to record all actions in order to help others
to understand “the story” of a place is also an
important aspect of the process. It is important
that records are kept of decisions and actions
that take place in order that future generations
can understand our present.
►► The importance of records. Creating a record of
the built cultural heritage is part of the process
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9
SECTION 1 » Overview, context and concepts
►► The physical evidence of the way that the build-
ing and the place have evolved over time is important and such changes should be respected
as they help tell the story of the place and the
society that made those changes.
Restoration
A building or place can be restored by either removing or adding items or elements. Therefore,
a simple repair can be seen as a restoration. For
some conservationists, restoration is considered
to be dishonest in that it can be seen as falsifying
the past by replacing something which is original
and authentic with something which is a facsimile.
However, in some instances restoration is seen as
appropriate, particularly where it involves an action which may protect or enhance cultural significance. Restoration may also be acceptable where
there is sufficient evidence to allow for accurate
replacement and the loss of historic materials is
kept to a minimum. However, restoration should
be approached with caution in order to safeguard
historic integrity and authenticity, i.e. it is generally accepted that restoration (and reconstruction)
should only happen where it will reveal culturally
significant aspects of a place, and only if there is
sufficient evidence of an earlier state of the materials; it should not be based on conjecture. The issue
of restoration, particularly of major parts of a place,
is not just a matter of truthfulness; there is also the
concern that, unless it is handled sensitively, it can
negate the development of a place by suggesting
that one era is more important than another. Also,
restoration is often in conflict with the principle of
minimal intervention.
The English Heritage document Conservation Principles, Policies and Guidance for the Sustainable Management of the Historic Environment makes some
useful points about restoration when it states that :
Restoration of a significant place should be acceptable
if all the following criteria are met:
►► the heritage value of what would be revealed or
recovered decisively outweighs the value of what
would be lost;
►► the work proposed is justified by compelling evi-
dence of the previous form of the place, and is executed in accordance with that evidence;
►► the current state of the place, the form in which it
survives, is not the result of an historically significant event;
►► there would be no obvious incongruity, through
creating something that has never previously existed as an entity;
►► resources are available to maintain what is re-
stored.
(English Heritage, 2008),
What is conservation?
Conservation can be considered to be the sensitive
management of change in built cultural heritage.
It has been observed that “The creation of cultural
heritage is largely derived from the way people remember, organize, think about and wish to use the
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10
A restoration affects many different aspects. Usually the old church
and the cultural values are respected, but there are also needs for new
technical installations and research. In the Hangvar church, research
was conducted on how to heat the church with solar panels. The
Hangvar church, Gotland. Photo: Tor Broström.
past, and how material culture provides a medium
through which to do this“ (Avrami ,2000l). Conservation is therefore more than a physical act. Conservation is about understanding and articulating cultural significance by attributing value(s) to the built
cultural heritage and by undertaking measures to
ensure its protection and enhancement.
SECTION 1 » Overview, context and concepts
Conservation is both the idea of protecting cultural significance and the processes and activities
through which this is carried out. The idea of protecting values is fundamental to the notion of conservation activity.
which has proved to be effective at various sites
and in various contexts throughout the world. This
framework is shown in the diagram below:
The Burra Charter, which is perhaps the most often
quoted of all international conservation charters,
defines conservation as being “all the processes of
looking after a place so as to retain its cultural significance.” It goes on to expand on this by observing
that “Conservation may, according to circumstance,
include the processes of: retention or reintroduction of
a use; retention of associations and meanings; maintenance, preservation, restoration, reconstruction
adaptation and interpretation; and will commonly include a combination of more than one of these.”
Understand the Site
documents and fieldwork
It is important not to be too formulaic about producing a CMP for an historic place because each
site is unique. Therefore, the details and contents
of a plan should be determined by the characteristics of a specific place and informed by the requirements and culture of the organization that owns
and/or uses it. In order to be effective, a CMP must
also recognize and work with the constraints and
opportunities presented by the site and its context. Nevertheless, there is an acknowledged overall framework and approach to producing a CMP
Build consensus.
Consult and involve others.
Assess how Significance
is Vulnerable
Revise and refine
The process of making a
Conservation Management Plan (CMP)
►► an identification of any factors that may adverse-
The Conservation Plan Process
Assess
Significance
Write policies for
retaining significance
Source: Informed Conservation – an introduction to the guidelines (HELM/English Heritage).
ly affect cultural values now and in the (measurable) future. It is important to assess in what way
cultural values might be vulnerable and identify
the processes and situations that may lead to
erosion or loss of those values. This leads to the
question of what the actions are that need to be
put in place in order to avoid those threats, or at
least mitigate them.
►► an identification of opportunities to protect and
enhance cultural significance, including by proactively seeking out opportunities for positive
changes.
►► an identification of “where we are now” in rela-
tion to such matters as the condition and use of
a place.
►► the development of a management plan that
The basis of a CMP is an understanding and articulation of the cultural significance of a place, i.e. an
analysis of what is important about the place and
why. The key elements in a CMP are:
►► an understanding of the cultural significance of
a place through the identification, analysis, measurement and articulation of the cultural values
of the place.
►► an identification of the attributes or elements of
the cultural artifacts and buildings that embody
INDEX
and represent those values, so that it is clear
what needs to be protected and hopefully enhanced.
11
links the assessment of cultural values to the operational needs and activities of a place, and to
the objectives of the organization(s) that own(s)
and/or occupy/occupies it (and which integrates
built cultural management planning into the
general built asset planning of the place). Such a
management plan must focus actions, processes
and priorities on the protection of built cultural
heritage values, i.e. be primarily concerned with
the implementation of management practices
that maximize the protection and enhancement
of heritage values.
SECTION 1 » Overview, context and concepts
A Two Stage Process
It is important that the process of creating a CMP
is carried out in two stages: the first stage involves
understanding the place through the gathering
and analysis of evidence, and the second involves
developing conservation policies and evolving
strategies and actions for the implementation of
those policies.
A typical step-by-step structure for a plan is:
Stage 1 - Determining significance and
vulnerability
Each site is unique and contains different heritage objects. Some of
them are situated far from the central church building. The 17th century belfry of the Kihelkonna church, Estonia. Photo: Kaire Tooming.
The Sundre medieval church lies in the far south of Gotland. This
defence tower is situated near the church, and it gives the place a certain significance. The tower is one of the oldest buildings in Gotland,
dating back to around 1000. The Sundre church defence tower,
Gotland. Photo: Joakim Hansson.
►► the development of monitoring, evaluation and
nological change. The key challenge in protecting
review processes that address such issues as
“how we are doing”, while also considering the
continuing validity of the (heritage) management objectives.
built cultural heritage then is, as previously ob-
CMPs also implicitly acknowledge that change in
the historic environment is inevitable, whether
caused by natural processes, through use and reuse, or by responses to social, economic and tech-
served, essentially about managing change to a
place while protecting, and hopefully enhancing,
its cultural significance. The focus therefore should
be on management planning which optimizes the
benefits that can be gained from a place without
diminishing its value and potential for the future.
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12
Step 1: Understand the site by drawing together
information, including documents and physical
evidence, in order to present an overall description
of the place and an understanding of how it has developed over time.
Step 2: Assess the site’s significance, both generally and contextually, and in detail for each of its
main elements. This will include the site’s relative
significance (to other places), as well as how each
part or element of the site contributes to its overall
significance.
Step 3: Define issues that affect the significance of
the site or that have the potential to do so in the
future; in other words, assess the site’s vulnerability
to deleterious change.
Step 4: Write a conservation statement: a short accessible summation of what is significant about the
site and why.
SECTION 1 » Overview, context and concepts
Step 7: Develop and implement policies and processes for monitoring, reviewing and readjusting
the management plan.
The site’s significance lies in different aspects, including historical and
religious diversity. The coexistence of medieval Catholic and modern
Lutheran church furnishings at the Kaarma church, Estonia. Photo: Kaire
Tooming.
Stage 2 – Developing and applying policies and
actions
Step 5: Develop conservation policies, processes
and actions that will ensure that the significance of
the site is protected and, where possible, enhanced
in its future management. This will include identifying and appraising options in the light of an assessment of opportunities and barriers.
Step 6: Apply the conservation policies, processes
and actions at all levels of the organization.
As with all good practices in planning, there needs
to be a monitoring system that asks “How are we
doing?” Therefore, a timetable for the action plan
is needed which can provide measurable benchmarks. In addition, it is important to acknowledge
that conservation plans are time-specific, because
circumstances change, as do perceptions of significance (new evidence may also emerge that affects
the understanding of the significance of a place).
Even if this were not so, the sense that conservation plans are management tools, and not primarily
documentations of the past, means that they must
be dynamic and therefore reviewed and updated at
regular intervals in order to ensure their continuing
validity and usefulness.
The two-stage approach is important, and it should
be emphasized that the assessment of cultural significance should be undertaken first, without considering any constraints, development plans, intentions etc., in order to ensure that the determination
of the significance of the site is not distorted by predetermined or preplanned outcomes. This means
that the appropriate conservation management
policies can only be established once a comprehensive understanding of the site’s significance and its
vulnerability to change have been determined.
However, it must be remembered that the two
stages, though carried out separately, are not independent, in the sense that stage one has no real
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13
value if stage two is not carried out properly, and
stage two will operate in a void if it is not derived
from the logic and understanding arrived at in
stage one. It is important that the final two-stage
document should read as one entity, as neither part
has any real value unless both are completed in an
integrated manner.
Undertaking a
conservation management
plan
Understand and describe the place
Before analyzing the cultural significance of a place,
it is important to describe the site as it is now and
to examine and understand its context and setting,
as well as some of the general issues that affect and
will affect it, and to describe and record this. This is
essentially about answering the prosaic but important question of “What have we got?” This process
will, firstly, include a consideration of:
►► the location of the place and its context related
to local geography and the surrounding environment.
►► the wider context in terms of the political, social
and economic environment in which the site exists and operates, and the extent to which this
might affect the aims and objectives of the plan,
both in terms of opportunities and threats.
►► how the conservation plan might relate to, or be
affected by, other policies and decisions under-
SECTION 1 » Overview, context and concepts
►► ownership and interests in the site, how it is
managed now and the uses to which it is to be
put.
And then
Describing the place as it is now:
This should be a written and visual description of the
place in its present condition, including its buildings,
its other structures, and its open spaces. The buildings and open spaces should be described in terms
of their functional relationships, both holistically
(i.e. how they relate to each other and to the overall
function of the site) and as individual elements. The
individual elements – both buildings and spaces –
should be described in terms of their layout and how
they are used.
Sites contain different types of heritage. The baroque funeral chapel
in the churchyard of the medieval Karuse church, Estonia. Photo: Kaire
Tooming.
taken by the organization that uses the site and/
or others whose decisions might affect the place
now or in the future (wider spatial planning issues, etc.).
►► specific issues that need to be addressed by the
conservation plan which may already be decided upon or are in the pipeline, in relation to new
developments, changes of use, improvements
to facilities etc.
Contents should be described where they are important to the function of the space, to the architectural
style or design of the building or perhaps more intangible aspects of the significance of the place, i.e.
the meaning and association between the place, the
building and the contents. This understanding may
of course be reinforced or perhaps changed by undertaking the assessment of cultural significance.
The main methods of construction and the key materials used should be noted.
The architectural style, or styles, should be noted, as
should the scale and detailing of the buildings, and
any unique elements or details.
The nature, quality and physical characteristic of the
spaces, and the objects and natural features that
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14
they contain should be assessed and described.
This should include hard and soft landscapes and
enclosures.
The condition of the physical aspects of the site
should be assessed in outline, in both general and
relative terms. A more detailed assessment may or
may not be needed later in order to clarify issues of
vulnerability: there may be particular defects which
are in urgent need of attention because they may
be endangering known and unknown elements of
significance. It should be emphasized that at this
stage the assessment of condition is undertaken in
order to help provide a picture of the place in its
present condition. However, it makes sense to undertake a full condition survey (see under maintenance management policies later on in the guidelines) as soon as possible after the assessment of
significance has been undertaken (and irrespective
of where in the condition survey cycle the place is)
in order to align the survey cycle with the establishment of cultural significance.
It is important to consider character as well as appearance. A detailed assessment of character
should of course emerge from the assessment of
cultural significance, but it is useful to carry out an
initial assessment in terms of the nature of the quality of the place and the factors that affect its character. This will include such factors as atmosphere,
use and activities, as well as perhaps more easily
measurable aspects: architectural qualities, materials, etc. It can sometimes be useful in this context to
think about what makes the place in question different from similar places.
SECTION 1 » Overview, context and concepts
The different types of heritage that exist on the
site should be described, including, where appropriate, the natural heritage; this would cover
buildings, archeology, collections, historic landscapes and gardens.
The limits of the place should be shown as boundaries of the site, and its topography and setting
in the wider landscape should be described and
visualized. Determining key sight lines out of the
place and into the place in order to identify important and sensitive views is useful.
The significance of the place may also be connected with other sites and so an understanding
of how plot size has increased or decreased over
time will have a possible effect on understanding
the cultural significance of the site; there may a
symbiotic relationship between the place and its
surroundings which is more than just contextual.
A checklist for making an inventory of church
buildings and contents is available in Appendix A
Assessing significance
A medieval church is often a complicated object. There are additions
from many different periods. The Ekeby church building was mostly
built in the 13th century. Besides the medieval pieces, most of the interior was added later, mostly from the 17th to the 19th centuries. These
additions form a great part of the historical atmosphere of the church.
The Ekeby church, Gotland, Sweden. Photo: Joakim Hansson.
This is the key part of the conservation plan and
is concerned with determining the cultural significance of the place. The previous section (“understand and describe the place”) is obviously part
of the process, particularly as it will involve some
analysis, as well as description. The task here is in
gathering material that adds to the understanding of the place and its social, historic and environmental context, as it was originally and how it
INDEX
15
has developed. This information is then analyzed
in order to determine the cultural significance of
the place and how this is embodied in and represented by the elements – the buildings, spaces,
structures and objects (and their relationships)
that constitute the physical manifestation of the
place – and by its uses and associations.
Gathering evidence about significance
The cultural significance of a place is the summation of the various values associated with the site.
It is extremely important that all aspects of the
site are investigated and that the values and their
relative importance are not assumed or predetermined because, even where it is thought that values are known, or at least obvious, ideas of what
is valuable and why are subjective and change
over time. There are many examples of where the
rigorous, focused and holistic approach adopted
by a conservation plan has shown new aspects of
significance in places which were assumed to be
already well understood.
The guidelines of the Burra Charter suggest that
the information that needs to be collected concerns:
►► the developmental sequence of the place and
its relationship to the surviving materials;
►► the existence and nature of lost or obliterated
materials;
►► the rarity and/or technical interest of all or any
part of the place;
SECTION 1 » Overview, context and concepts
been influenced by historical forces or have influenced the course of history;
►► the scientific or research potential of the place;
►► the relationship of the place to other places, for
example in respect to design, technology, use,
locality or origin;
(Australia ICOMOS, 1999)
Information on significance can be gathered from
physical, written, oral and figurative sources. In
practice, this means:
►► Documentary Material.
►► Interpretation of materials and spaces.
►► People, in the sense of the meaning of a place to
a variety of people (particularly the community/
stakeholders).
Rare features add value to the site. Historical graffiti on the western
portal of the Kadrina church, Estonia. Photo: Kaire Tooming.
►► the functions of the place and its parts;
►► the relationship of the place and its parts to its
setting;
►► the cultural influences which have affected the
form and materials of the place;
►► the significance of the place to people who use
or have used the place, or descendants of such
people;
►► the historical content of the place with particular
reference to the ways in which its materials have
Documentary evidence
Documentary evidence includes written or graphic
evidence that helps to build a picture of the place
and how and why it has developed over time. Depending upon the place and the types and sources
of the documents, some specialist skills and knowledge may be necessary in identifying, sourcing,
reading and interpreting the materials. Some of the
material will be primary (i.e. original) and some of it
will be secondary (books and articles written about
the place, for example).
Secondary material is often more readily available
than primary material but, clearly, as it is the result
of someone’s interpretation and analysis, it is im-
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16
Sometimes the building itself can shed light on important building
phases. The date on the western door of the Valjala church, Estonia.
Photo: Kaire Tooming.
portant that a judgment be made about its accuracy and veracity. However, it is also important to
understand that primary material is not necessarily
accurate or truthful. For example, historical records
were sometimes written after the event, and are
subject to mistakes, misinterpretation etc.: a contemporaneous report may not be a truthful or full
account, and a building may not have been built
exactly as it is shown on a plan, or in an illustration/
painting. Quite often mistakes are made, for example, in assuming that an old painting of the exterior
SECTION 1 » Overview, context and concepts
or interior of a building was rendered accurately by
the artist, leading to incorrect assumptions about,
for example, past interior color schemes.
A common mistake in identifying appropriate documents is to be too narrow in identifying material
and where it might be sourced. It is important to
think in diverse ways about where appropriate information might be found and to look beyond “official” and “normal” material.
Examples of the types of documentary material
which might be useful are shown in Appendix B.
Appendix C makes particular reference to archives
for churches in Sweden and Estonia .
Interpretation of buildings, structures and
spaces
This is evidence that derives from the place itself:
the way that the materials and layout of the site,
its landscape and immediate setting and/or the
building(s) and its/their use(s) have changed over
time.
The process of interpreting historic materials involves a study of the evolution and change of such
matters as architectural form, layout, construction
technique and the materials and services used in
construction. Physical evidence of changing uses
and the processes that occurred at the place should
be sought in order to understand the specific functions that took place on the site over time. Examining elements of the materials may be justified but
generally where this involves damage it should be
avoided (the process of paint analysis is an example
of an intervention that may be justified because it
is usually minimalistic but leads to greater understanding of the place).
Documentary evidence and the interpretation of
materials are processes which can hopefully complement and substantiate each other in order to
build a more or less complete “story” and to confirm evidence, although in practice there will be
both lacunae and some bits of evidence which cannot be interpreted with certainty. It is important
that where uncertainty exists, or evidence is lacking, that this is acknowledged.
People as an evidence resource.
Clearly those who have some knowledge and experience of a place (as part of the wider community, as
members of the organization, or as the individuals
who occupy and use it) are potential sources of information, either orally or through their possession
or knowledge of documents that have not been
archived. This information may help to fill in gaps
in knowledge, help resolve conflicts and contradictions in the documentary evidence, or even validate
evidence. The caveats about accuracy and veracity
made earlier of course apply here and particularly
so in regard to oral evidence.
The concern here is with people as sources of evidence, which is distinct from a process which interprets the meaning of the place to stakeholders and
which is essentially about assessing in what ways
the community values the place.
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17
The materials used in building churches have often been reused.
A medieval stone cross used as part of the buttress at the Kaarma
church, Estonia. Photo: Kaire Tooming.
Assessing community and stakeholder values.
It is extremely important in an assessment of cultural significance that the way in which people relate to a place, and the meaning(s) it holds for them
is taken into account. This is often connected with
people’s memories and associations and, in effect,
those people are the repository of the contemporary social value of the place; the significance of a
place essentially resides in how it is understood and
SECTION 1 » Overview, context and concepts
valued by people. Stakeholders, therefore, need to
be identified and involved in the process of undertaking and determining significance. This includes
the past and present owners and occupants of the
site, and the past and present members of the community who used, were associated with, or associated themselves with the place. These associations
and memories may be connected with the physical
aspects of the place but may also be related to its
symbolism and use. In many cases, stakeholders'
values are often related to “intangible” aspects,
such as the atmosphere and “the spirit” of the place.
The need for clarity and
openness
The development of an understanding of the significance of a site should be as objective as possible. It
should, however, be borne in mind that it is always
an assessment carried out by a particular group of
people, with particular interests, knowledge and
skills, who are operating in a particular cultural context and at a specific point in time. It is therefore
important that the process is not only rigorous,
but is seen to be rigorous. Therefore the methodologies and processes used should be set out and
explained. Such an approach should aid credibility
and transparency, and therefore accountability. So
it is important that:
►► it is made clear what information and evidence
was drawn upon, from where it was sourced and
how it was analyzed and interpreted. It should
also be shown how competing ideas, contradictory information, etc. were dealt with.
►► where there were gaps in the documentary
evidence these should be acknowledged, and
again it should be shown how they were dealt
with.
►► all sources used should be cited with sufficient
precision to enable others to locate them.
►► all sources consulted should be listed, even if
not cited (i.e. there should be a comprehensive
bibliography, as well as a detailed and accurate
reference section, both arranged using an acceptable and appropriate “referencing” system).
►► all major sources not consulted should be listed
and the reasons why they were not used explained.
►► it should be made clear how stakeholders were
identified and by whom, and how their input
was managed, recorded, analyzed and used.
►► any areas or aspects of the site that could not be
properly accessed and/or documented should
be noted, and reference should be made to how
this was dealt with.
Categorizing cultural
values: using value
typologies
The cultural significance of a place is made up of
the values embodied in and represented by the
place. The type of values that are present in any
given place are variable of course, but in making an
assessment it is useful to have in mind a range of
possible values that may exist at the place.
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18
Appendix D contains examples of value typologies that are in current use, and below are some
examples of cultural values that may be present at
a given place with some observations about their
meaning.
Aesthetic
This involves perception by the senses: what can be
seen, smelt, heard and touched. This is essentially
about character and what creates a “sense of place”.
Appearance (including the “patina of age”) is part
of the character of a place, but there is a real danger
that it may dominate the assessment of this value
category, in part because it is easier to measure
and articulate that which can be seen compared to
other aspects of character. There are many examples in which the appearance of a place has been
“enhanced” but the aesthetic of the place has been
damaged. Sometimes this has occurred because of
a misplaced desire to “tidy up” and “improve” the
place, but often because the use and feel of the
place – and its noises, smells and activities – have
neither been understood nor their importance appreciated.
Architectural/technological
Architectural value is concerned with innovation,
development and perhaps pinnacles of achievement (as in “the finest example of. . . “) in relation
to architectural ideas and movements, and also in
the work of individuals. This value also embraces
the work of craftsmen and the development of ma-
SECTION 1 » Overview, context and concepts
terials and technology. Some architectural values
may be related to developments and high points in
technical achievement.
Because architecture and technology (and indeed
art) are not created in a vacuum, the social, cultural,
political and economic contexts which informed
their development are also represented by the architectural and technical achievement.
Archaeological
Archaeological value is represented by structures
both above and below ground. This relates strongly to educational value and to the ability of the
place to be a source of information about the past
through scientific investigation. In part, archeological potential may be related to representativeness
and completeness.
Artistic
This may be closely connected to historical value
and architectural value. Artistic value may be related to the work of a particular person or an artistic
or architectural movement, and may be important
because it is a unique example, it is pivotal, or it is
representative.
Associational
There are high cultural values in many churches. In many cases, a piece
can also have high aesthetic, educational, historical etc. values, as in
this stained glass window from the 13th century in the Lye church. The
Lye church, Gotland, Sweden. Photo: Joakim Hansson
Clearly a place may be important because of its associational links with a person or event. But how
symbiotic that link is needs to be considered: the
link should be substantial, and generally it should
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19
not be transitory. The intactness of the place in relation to the period, and activity related to the association, and/or its “spiritual quality” in relation to
the association are also key points to consider.
Commemorative
These are different from associational values in that
the commemorated place may or may not be located where the event actually took place. Churches
may provide good examples of this.
Economic
This can be seen, at a very simple level, as pertaining to how much money is generated by heritage
places, either directly through admissions and sales
of services and goods at the site, or indirectly in the
sense of visitors to a place purchasing goods and
services in the wider area. The effect of heritage
value on attracting visitors to the wider region, or
indeed a particular country, is also an economic value that can be measured in terms of direct and indirect investment and employment opportunities
and realities. This important value may, of course,
lead to negative effects on the place itself.
Another way of measuring economic value is by
asking people what they are prepared to pay for
something: how much they are prepared to pay to
enter a particular place or how much public money
they think they are prepared to see spent on it (in
the context of perhaps higher taxes or in relation
to other things of public value, such as health care
or street cleaning). In the case of churches, this may
SECTION 1 » Overview, context and concepts
that a place may invite and stimulate individual interest through curiosity. However, in many instances educational value is only truly realized through
effective interpretation strategies (although the
sense of place can sometimes be reduced by poor,
and in some cases any, interpretation).
Historical
The concept of historical value is of primary importance in the notion of built cultural heritage, and to
a large extent it underpins and validates many of
the other values. Clearly, historical value is closely
linked to social value and associational values.
Inspirational
Like the spiritual and religious, this is a cultural value that can be hard to define precisely, because of
its very personal nature.
Churches contain extensive amounts of information, which can be used for educational purposes. Conservation students’ workshop at the Pöide
church, Estonia. Photo: Kaire Tooming.
be referred to as existence value; people value the
existence of something even though they may not
interact with it directly themselves.
There is also of course a more prosaic economic value, and that is the value of the place as “real estate”,
including its development value. This is important
to measure as the potential to develop the site
through a new use may be what actually effectively
protects the place, as long as the new use is compatible with its cultural significance.
Ecological and Environmental
Environmental value is often confused with ecological value, but they are and should remain quite
distinct; for example, a landscape can have environmental value without being ecologically significant.
Educational
Educational value is derived from various of the
other values, including, of course, the historical value of the place. This can work at an informal level, in
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20
Recreational
Clearly, many built cultural heritage places are enjoyed as sources of recreation, and thus have amenity value.
Scenic and panoramic
These are closely associated with visually aesthetic
values. Panoramic value includes sweeping outward vistas, whereas scenic value may be related
more to beauty in a reasonably confined setting
and may include the subject place or be experienced by looking from it.
SECTION 1 » Overview, context and concepts
Social value
This mainly involves the meaning that a place has
for individuals or groups because of some kind of
association they have with it, or with events that occurred there. It refers to the benefits of social cohesion and group identity, and a sense of continuity,
familiarity and rootedness. In this it has both psychological and sociological benefits.
Spiritual and religious
These can obviously be related to organized religion but they can also encompass secular experiences of wonder etc. (cathedrals and churches are
good examples).
Symbolic/iconic
The symbolism of places is a widely referred to value. Very often the symbolic values that a place holds
are interpreted differently by different groups. In
some cases, different interpretations are relatively
harmonious and positive and reinforce the importance of a place, but sometimes they are negative,
e.g. if they are seen by minority groups as celebrating past events which oppressed or damaged
them. There can, of course, be benefits in conserving places precisely because they are reminders of
past wrongdoings or attitudes and events that are
condemned. Whether those benefits are realized
depends on perceptions and interpretations.
In a slightly different way, the very human sense
of belonging can attach symbolic or iconic value
The medieval suite of stained glass windows in the Lye church is the biggest preserved collection of medieval glass in the Nordic countries. The
value of the windows is evident. But in addition to the art historical value, there are also other important values. These can be more difficult to
determine. The Lye church, Gotland, Sweden. Photo: Joakim Hansson.
to a place, both for individuals and sometimes for
Some points to consider in assessing values
whole sections of a community. Related to this
and significance
form of symbolic value is the importance that many
►► Many of the values of a place can be identified
people, when traveling, place on landmarks as
way-markers and symbols of arrival at a destination
(again churches often play a significant role here).
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21
and assessed by an expert/team of experts, but
it is important that the views of the community
about what values the site holds for them are
SECTION 1 » Overview, context and concepts
taken into account, and that those views are
seen as being as valid as those of the experts.
What we mean here are communal values, i.e.
the meanings of a place for the people who
relate to it, and whose collective experience or
memory is represented by it or embodied within
it. Communal values are often symbolic/intangible and therefore difficult to measure. They can
also be contentious. This does not reduce their
importance. It follows that any typology needs
to acknowledge the range of possible values in
a place so that all stakeholders recognize that
their perspectives are represented.
►► Any particular place may or may not contain all
of the values indicated above. However, using a
typology with a comprehensive range of values
at the beginning of an assessment is a useful
starting point, and it will tend to encourage divergent thinking. This range will then be adjusted to take into account the particular qualities
of a place. However, the typology should not be
regarded as a check list that excludes the notion
of other values existing at a particular place, nor
should time be wasted on trying to identify values that clearly do not exist in a particular place.
►► The articulation of values in a typology never
provides an “absolute” definition of the cultural
significance of a particular place, but it is useful
as a framework which can be an organizational
tool for an assessment, although it should be
seen as both fluid and flexible.
►► Usually a place has multiple values and this will
tend to reinforce its importance. However, hav-
ing multiple values also probably means that
different individuals or groups see the place,
and particular aspects of the place, as being
important for different reasons; this may cause
tensions in making the assessment, and possibly
lead to management problems later.
►► The credibility and/or the value attached to dif-
ferent types and different sources of evidence
may vary between different cultural groups in
the community, between the community and
experts, and possibly between experts with different backgrounds and perspectives. This emphasizes the notion that all cultural values are
subjective and therefore reinforces the sense
that the attitude and make-up of the team which
is undertaking a value assessment is important.
It also underlines the point that the process of
value measurements, as well as the results, need
to be transparent and objective.
►► There may also be problems with interpreta-
tions of terms and even meanings: it may seem
that different groups perceive the same value as
being embodied in the same aspect or element
of a place (e.g. aesthetic value), but in reality
they conceive and interpret that value in different ways. This reinforces the point that agreeing on terms and meanings is important, as is
explaining how values have been identified and
measured.
►► What is regarded as valuable about a particular
place not only varies between individuals and
groups but also changes over time: significance
is dynamic and subjective and evolves within
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22
the context of changing social, cultural and political contexts. In other words, changing social
perceptions considerably influence the value
that we place on our historic environment. Cultural significance is a social construct, and there
are no inherent values.
The value assessment process
It is important that the general approach to assessing cultural significance should be one where all the
possible values are intrinsically considered to be of
equal standing and that no one value is automatically
allowed to dominate the assessment of significance,
nor the decisions flowing from it. It is important that
the assessment team not subjectively assume – perhaps because of their training, background or personal beliefs – that, for example, architectural or art
history values at a given place are always more important than other values. This should be the working premise when carrying out the assessment of a
place. In addition, following on from an assessment,
this balance needs to be maintained to ensure that
one set of values does not obscure other values in
managing a place. As noted above, there should also
be an assumption, initially at least, that the full range
of values is potentially represented by the place and
that the investigation of the site may reveal other,
previously unacknowledged values.
The process of assessment should then normally follow these procedures:
►► the identification and assessment of the overall
and particular values embodied in and repre-
SECTION 1 » Overview, context and concepts
sented by the site and how those values relate
to, and are represented by, the buildings, objects, spaces and landscape of the place.
►► an assessment of how valuable the site in rela-
tion to comparable sites.
−− a determination of the contribution to signifi-
cance made by the setting and context of the
place.
Following on from the above, there should an evaluation of the relative significance of the various aspects and elements of the place.
It can be seen that at the heart of this process is an
assessment of value which looks outwards at comparisons and looks inwards at relative significance.
Relative Significance
►► Relative significance is usually expressed by us-
ing a hierarchy of ascending or descending levels of value. For example:
►► Exceptional: features of exceptional/internation-
al significance or which contain elements with a
significance beyond national boundaries.
►► Considerable: features of considerable/national
significance, possibly reflected in statutory designations (including those of ecological and nature conservation value).
►► Some: features of some significance, important
at the regional level either individually or in
group value.
►► Limited: features of limited/local significance.
Old heating systems in churches can be very dangerous. This is not
only due to technical conditions, but is also a matter of changes in conditions in the building; in this case, the combination of the heating system and the climate conditions have blackened the church walls. The
bench was put against the wall to protect the wall paintings, but this
has produced a poor result. The Lye church, Gotland, Sweden. Photo:
Joakim Hansson.
Without the necessary expertise, the wrong materials may be used. In
this case, concrete mortar has been used to repair a hole in the medieval plaster surface, which was definitely a flawed approach. The Lye
church, Gotland, Sweden. Photo: Joakim Hansson
►► Unknown: features of unknown significance re-
As well as reinforcing which aspects of a place
should be protected and enhanced, this assessment of relative significance allows for changes,
and gives guidance to how changes can be made
with the least impact on the overall value of the
place; the point of the exercise is not just about
constraining future action, but also about identifying where change and development can, and
should, take place.
sulting from a lack of sufficient information on
which to base a sound analysis of value.
►► None: features of no significance to the study
area.
This approach is preferable to one that allocates
numerical scores, as they can become too rigid and
thought of as being absolute.
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23
SECTION 1 » Overview, context and concepts
In many cases, a further category – “negative significance” – is also used in this kind of hierarchy in
order to identify features that are thought to have
such a deleterious effect that they detract from the
overall significance of a place, or from elements of
it. There is, of course, the practical problem that the
elements are likely to have necessary functions, but
at least the negative value can be taken into consideration in future decisions about making changes
to the place.
Is it an early example, or the oldest or rarest?
Comparisons
Vulnerability
Another aspect of measuring relative significance is
to compare the relative importance of one site with
that of another site. Comparisons between places
provide a context that helps to assess and then
to justify, explain and illustrate significance. This
might be based upon such questions as:
Once the site has been understood and its cultural significance assessed, it is important, before
policies are developed to protect and enhance that
significance, that there be an assessment of what
factors might possibly damage or detract from
the cultural values of the place: it is important to
understand the extent to which values are at risk
now or in the future. The ways in which a place and
its values are vulnerable may be multifaceted and
relatively complex to address. Other ways, such as
a lack of financial resources, may be simple to identify but extremely difficult to address adequately.
Is it the most complete?
Does it perhaps have a design and layout which
represent or illustrate some change in the development of how the building type functions?
Is it a representative example of an era or a type?
If it is the work of a particular architect, does it represent an early example of the architect's work, or a
particularly fine example of it?
If it is a good example of a particular style of architecture, is it the only known example in that area or
perhaps a pioneering example?
Is it a seminal building (function and/or style)?
Is it a high point (in architectural style or functional
effectiveness for example)?
There is a danger though that too much emphasis
on comparisons may obscure the unique qualities
of a particular place. In addition, comparisons may
be useful in gauging relative architectural merits
but not in gauging social value and meaning.
The assessment of vulnerability should consider
the medium and long-term view, as well as issues
that may cause immediate and obvious problems.
Also, it is important to look externally as well as internally at possible future problems. Looking externally includes understanding possible threats that
are generated through forces outside the control
of the organization (such as future socio-economic
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changes or climate change), as they may have longterm effects that are difficult to deal with.
It is important that all of the issues of vulnerability
that are identified are linked to a policy in the management plan which will address and mitigate the
problem.
Examples of the sort of issues that might be identified as rendering the cultural significance of a place
vulnerable to damage or deterioration are shown
in Appendix E.
SWOT analysis: identifying strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities and threats
This is often a useful exercise to undertake after
the assessment of cultural significance and perhaps
along with the consideration of vulnerability.
It is important to involve as many people as possible in this exercise. This should obviously include
those using and managing the place, but may usefully involve others from outside the organization,
such as the local government and the local community. Widening participation in the exercise may
have added value in making and sustaining links,
and in gathering support for future actions.
The undertaking of a SWOT analysis can be very
useful not only in identifying opportunities and
barriers but also in terms of:
►► team building and involving people in decision
making, thereby building consensus.
►► allowing and stimulating creative thinking.
SECTION 1 » Overview, context and concepts
►► creating a realistic and shared understanding
►► physical or environmental issues (difficulties in
of the current position and the issues facing the
site and the management team (as well as the
community).
reducing vulnerability due to poor condition,
overuse, vandalism, pollution, or natural risks
such as flooding, erosion, etc.)
►► helping develop a structured approach to prob-
lem solving.
►► getting a range of interested parties to “buy
into” solutions and agree to priorities, schedules
and deadlines.
►► predicting future vulnerability, evaluating prob-
lems and agreeing on solutions and fall-back
plans.
This exercise clearly needs to precede the policy
development process. Some of the threats and
weaknesses will, of course, have been identified in
the assessment of vulnerability.
Examples of the sort of issues a SWOT analysis
might raise include:
►► cultural values vs. other values on or around the
site. This may present both opportunities and
constraints, and of course may raise issues of
trade-offs between heritage values and other
(e.g. socioeconomic) benefits.
►► requirements and aspirations of the owner.
Again this may offer opportunities and constraints.
►► availability of resources (including financial,
skills and knowledge. A constraint perhaps, but
may also be an opportunity: the production of
the plan may provide access to grants/funds or
identify development opportunities.
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SECTION 1 » Overview, context and concepts
SECTION 2
Developing and applying
policies and actions
Introduction
As mentioned above, this second stage of the CMP
should only begin after the assessments of significance and vulnerability have been completed. This
stage is concerned with determining what is required on the site in order to protect and enhance
cultural significance and mitigate vulnerability.
This is done by focusing on how the place can and
should develop, and the key management issues
related to this and how they will be addressed. This
part of the process is concerned with moving from
a holistic vision of “where do we want to be” to general and specific policies, and from there to tactics
and actions.
It is important that the policies are sympathetic to,
and synthesize with, the culture of the organization
owning and/or occupying the place, and the requirements and constraints related to the functions
of the place. It follows that representatives from the
organization must be actively involved in developing and implementing policies and actions. It also
follows that they must understand and “buy into”
the cultural significance assessment and its policy
implications.
One possible sequence of undertaking the management plan is to:
►► consider what actions need to be taken to miti-
gate vulnerability.
►► consider opportunities and constraints in rela-
tion to the place itself, its setting and its sociopolitical and economic context.
►► develop policies to protect and enhance signifi-
cance and mitigate vulnerability.
►► identify and appraise possible strategy options
for the implementation of policies.
►► develop and implement an action plan that links
policies and strategies to procedures and processes, and which:
−− sets out a timescale and sequencing related
to requirements, priorities and resources.
−− sets out how the plan will be implemented,
and by whom.
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In many cases, the church is too big for a small congregation. There are
solutions for dealing with the indoor climate. In the Lau church, there
is floor heating under the benches and infra heating from the armature. The model for the armature was made after a medieval one in
the same church. The Lau church, Gotland, Sweden. Photo: Tor Broström.
−− develops and implements procedures for
monitoring and review.
The characteristics of this part of the CMP, which is
concerned with developing and applying policies
and actions, might include:
SECTION 2 » Developing and applying policies and actions
►► that it can be implemented, as far as possible,
without too great a change in the existing management structures.
►► that it should, where possible, relate to, and
work with, existing processes. This applies as
long as cultural significance is not threatened by
an unwillingness to make necessary changes in
organizational culture and organizational practices.
►► that financial and human resources are available
to implement it.
►► that it pays due attention to the needs and con-
cerns of the community and stakeholders in
general.
►► that it allows and plans for monitoring, review
and, if and when appropriate, a refocusing of
strategies, policies and actions, and that there is
a process which asks “How are we doing?”
tive of the type of site or the issues emerging from
the assessments of significance and vulnerability. A
range of the policies that are likely to be needed
at any given place are highlighted below, followed
by some thoughts and advice on what factors and
ideas need to be considered when producing the
place-specific policy documentation.
►► Access
►► Conservation
►► Energy efficiency and indoor climate
►► Finance
►► Management structures and processes
►► Maintenance management
►► Records and archives
►► Security
To enjoy the treasures of a church, visitors should be given information about the building and its furnishings. A detail of the 17th century
chandelier chain at the Martna church, Estonia. Photo: Kaire Tooming.
►► Use and reuse
Developing Policies
Access
As mentioned above, the policies contained in any
given Conservation Management Plan should be
derived from the assessment of significance and
vulnerability (and the SWOT analysis) of the particular site, i.e. policies are specific to a time and a
place. It is, therefore, clearly not possible to write
standard policies in advance, nor to know what the
full range of policies that are likely to be needed
at a particular site will be. However, it is possible
to suggest that there will be certain activities and
situations for which policies are required irrespec-
The issue of access to churches has to be considered from two different angles: keeping churches
open for the local community and visitors, and enabling access for disabled people.
Churches should operate an “open door” policy.
Keeping churches open outside of service times is
important both to the local community and visitors.
An open door enables people to find a quiet place
to think or pray and enables visitors to the area to
enjoy the treasures of the church. To keep a church
open is in the public interest, as many conservation
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projects done in churches have been funded from
state budgets. With an “open door” policy, it has to
be considered that this may attract unwanted visitors. To avoid theft, small objects should be locked
away or fastened down. There are many ways of
ensuring the security of the church while offering
hospitality to people.
Historic churches with staircases, different floor levels, and uneven floors may be difficult for disabled
people to access. Legislative regulations require
that all public buildings must be physically accessible for everyone. This means that people must be
SECTION 2 » Developing and applying policies and actions
able to move freely and cope with different floor
levels. Most regulations, though, accept that historic buildings should be treated flexibly to avoid
damaging interventions. Historic church buildings
require a special understanding to ensure that the
alterations made to increase accessibility do not reduce the historic value and significance. Every historic church building is unique and must therefore
be handled separately.
In most cases, access can be improved without affecting historic value and significance. A proper access plan should be worked out to determine what
needs to be improved, and this should involve both
the building itself and the way it is managed. The
access plan should work out reasonable adjustments and highlight the features of the building
that cannot be altered or removed. In many cases, physical alteration of the building may not be
needed as alternative routes can be provided or the
use of space can be reorganized.
It is important that not only visitors or users with
limited physical mobility, and those who are wheelchair users be considered in the access plan. Those
with visual and hearing impairments also need to
be considered. This means that sound transmission,
lighting, notice boards, signs etc should be considered as parts of the access improvement strategy.
The most common way to improve access to a
church and its different parts is to use portable
ramps. When this solution is not sufficient and
physical alterations are required, it is important to
ensure that all changes are reversible and cause
A lack of regular maintenance will lead to massive conservation work. The Pöide church, Estonia. Photo: Kaire Tooming.
minimum intervention to the building materials
and the space. Where it is not possible to provide
physical access for disabled people to all parts of
the building, alternative forms of access via audio,
video or internet facilities should be considered.
show how conservation principles (see earlier) are
to be interpreted and then integrated and applied
within the significance-based management of the
place, including all processes and procedures in relation to, for example:
Conservation
►► maintenance.
There should be a clear framework for showing how
decisions about physical interventions in the materials of a place are made, and the basis on which this
should be done. In essence, the framework should
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►► repair.
►► alteration and additions.
►► reconstruction and restoration.
►► new uses.
SECTION 2 » Developing and applying policies and actions
This frame (detail) has been damaged by the heating system in the
church. You can see damage over almost the entire surface. The Klinte
church, Gotland, Sweden. Photo: Joakim Hansson.
One of the weak points in heating a church is the windows. Old windows have high cultural value and must be saved. Photo: Tor Broström.
Together with finding finances for the conservation of a church building, funds for the conservation of furnishings and textiles must be
found. A detail of a 19th century Bible cover from the Karja church,
Estonia. Photo: Conservation Centre Kanut.
This also means that all those working on the materials, or with the objects of the place, should be
aware of the implications of the value and relative
value assessments, to the extent that all understand how their actions might affect cultural significance. This applies as much to those cleaning or
repairing items as to those who may be responsible
for changing or exlarging the building.
Indoor Climate and Energy
Efficiency
indoor climate affects the preservation of the building and its interiors. Based on the requirements for
conservation and comfort, indoor climate control
must be achieved at a reasonable cost and with a
minimum use of energy.
Indoor climate and energy efficiency are two important factors in achieving the sustainable management of churches. The indoor climate should
provide comfort for visitors and people working in
the church. At the same, one must consider how the
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Guidelines for indoor climate and energy efficiency
in churches is given in a separate document, Energy
efficient climate control in historic buildings. Guide-
SECTION 2 » Developing and applying policies and actions
lines for heating churches are provided in the European standard EN 15759-1: Indoor climate Part 1:
Guidelines for heating churches, chapels and other
places of worship.
Finance
Economic sustainability is a necessary condition
for the sustainable management of churches. Operation and maintenance have to be financed over
a long-term period. The main responsibility lies
with the local parish. As membership is decreasing,
many small parishes simply cannot afford to use
their churches, much less maintain them.
The second source of financing is from the state,
and often this is for specific and/or major restoration
work. The availability of, and routines for, state funding vary greatly among the European countries.
The European Union contributes to a series of policies and initiatives for the sustainable development
of the built environment. The cohesion policy of
the European Union, with its diverse financial instruments, such as the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), plays a key role in supporting the development and revitalisation of cultural
heritage spaces.
Revenues from activities in the building
The church can be used for non-religious events,
such as concerts and seminars. Going one step further, part of the church building can be used for
kindergarten classes, offices, cafés etc.
Generally maintaining a church requires a combination of state funding and funding from the local
parish.
Management structures
and processes
Existing management structures and processes
should be analyzed in the light of the assessment
of significance and vulnerability. It is necessary to
look at how these might:
Protect and enhance
significance
Or
Have little or no effect
on significance
Or
Have, or might have
in the future, a detrimental
effect on significance
An important part of the analysis involves ensuring that the idea of significance, and the related
responsibilities, implications and actions can be effectively embedded in all procedures and actions
carried out by all who work, advise on, or visit the
place, and that practices and procedures that may
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damage or detract from cultural significance are
addressed. However, as far as possible, any restructuring should “work with the grain” of the organization’s culture and attempt to improve the effectiveness of existing processes rather than trying to
impose wholesale change.
Maintenance Management
Introduction
Maintenance is concerned with work which is routinely carried out in order to protect and extend the
life of the materials of a building. This involves a continuous process of care. Although the terms maintenance and repair are often used interchangeably
in the building industry, in conservation they are
distinct ideas – as are the actions involved – and
although in practice they overlap to some extent
the difference is important. The phrase “as much as
necessary, as little as possible” encapsulates the key
overarching theme for the care of historic buildings
and echoes the conservation principle of minimal
intervention. Maintenance is an important activity
for all buildings because of the need to protect and
enhance the materials of a building, and to allow it
to function effectively. For an historic building, the
protection of the materials has an additional and
fundamental importance because the materials
themselves have cultural significance and, therefore, activities which protect materials and prevent
(or more realistically slow down) deterioration are
important: even good repairs involve replacement
SECTION 2 » Developing and applying policies and actions
processes as painting, clearing debris from rainwater gutters, servicing boilers, testing machinery,
and minor repairs, such as fixing loose slates.
Maintenance management involves an approach
that is systematic (i.e. not a series of random activities) and continuous, in the sense of being regular,
cyclical and, as far as possible, proactive. It also assumes that the process is based on regular inspection in order to collect information, followed by
prompt actions and orderly decisions and priorities.
A maintenance plan should also cover the basic maintenance of furnishings. A lamp from the Mihkli church, Estonia. Photo: Kaire Tooming.
Site maintenance must deal with several issues, including storage of
redundant grave monuments. The churchyard of the Kadrina church,
Estonia. Photo: Kaire Tooming.
and or damage to existing material. Obviously, repair work is necessary as all materials deteriorate
over time and, when carried out properly and judiciously, proper repairs prolong the life of particular
elements and the entire building. Good repairs are
important for the long-term protection of cultural
significance, but it is important that it is understood
that they are interventions that, in most cases, involve some level of damage to or loss of materials;
repairs involve either restoration or reconstruction.
Any unnecessary replacement of materials is likely
to diminish authenticity and thus historical/cultural
value. The balance, therefore, between preventative maintenance and repair is important, not just
in relation to the conservation of materials, but also
because of cultural significance.
Maintenance is essentially work which is intended
to prevent defects and/or slow down rates of deterioration in the materials and services of a building.
So, true maintenance involves such routines and
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In order to be effective, maintenance management
must be related to the overall goals of the organization and integrated into the management strategy,
and this should then inform policy, tactics and dayto-day activities. Most importantly, maintenance
policy and its consequent actions must focus on
the assessment of significance and the implications of identified vulnerabilities. It must also be informed by conservation principles, such as minimal
intervention.
Benefits of maintenance
The objectives of most maintenance programs include the retention of the continuity of function,
the protection of buildings as capital assets, the
protection of the comfort and convenience of users, reinforcement of image and meeting statutory
obligations (related to fire, health and safety, disabled access, etc.). Therefore, one of the benefits of
maintenance is risk minimization. In addition, effective maintenance:
SECTION 2 » Developing and applying policies and actions
consequently this reduces the environmental
costs of extraction, processing, transport etc.
►► can promote the idea of guardianship and en-
hance a sense of place.
From a cultural heritage perspective, maintenance
is important because, in prolonging the life of building components, there is a minimization of the loss
of original historic materials and therefore it is a key
action in preserving heritage.
Processes
There must be storage space for all movable objects. The lack of proper storage rooms is often a problem in churches. In the Linde church, both
spaces beside the organ were used as storage areas. The Linde church, Gotland, Sweden. Photo: Joakim Hansson.
►► retains the building's appearance and value, and
safeguards the investment made in it by extending its life.
►► mitigates against disruption to use and associat-
ed costs that can result when building elements
fail. Preventing large repair bills reduces capital
expenditure and the need for larger repair and
replacement work, which can be expensive and
disruptive (particularly if the work is unplanned).
A small but regular investment in such tasks
as the routine cleaning of gutters and drains is
much cheaper and less inconvenient than having to cope with defects (for example a serious
outbreak of dry rot in timber roof trusses following years of neglect of dampness problems).
►► makes it more likely that dangers (loose coping
stones, broken handrails etc ) will be spotted before damage and injury result.
►► is a key element in a sustainable approach to
managing an historic place in that it is concerned with preserving resources, as less material is used than in repair and replacement, and
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As mentioned previously, for historic buildings,
maintenance needs are driven by an understanding of the cultural significance of materials. However, this goal also needs to be related to the proper
day-to-day functions of the asset and to be synthesized with such matters as insurance requirements,
health and safety considerations and other statutory obligations. A process also needs to be established which identifies what maintenance and repair work is to be carried out, and how and when it
is to be done, particularly taking into consideration
the continuing functionality of the building. How
work is to be prioritized and on what basis are also
of fundamental importance.
It is customary to divide maintenance into :
►► long-term programs (an expression of policy
rather than a detailed scheduling of tasks);
►► medium-term programs (on an annual basis)
►► short-term programs (daily, weekly and monthly
tasks).
SECTION 2 » Developing and applying policies and actions
Also, it is normal to make a distinction between two
broad types of maintenance action:
►► Reactive: day-to-day, or corrective. This is usually
seen as a response to a problem or failure, and
an intervention that is usually initiated by the
building user.
►► Preventive. This is a planned approach that
maintains buildings through a rational program
formulated through knowledge of conditions,
predictive assessments and identified priorities.
It creates benefits associated with economies of
scale.
Although a focus on economies of scale can work
against the notion of minimal intervention, generally problems identified and dealt with in early stages
can minimize the need for more intervention and
costly repairs later on. Planned maintenance may
also play a role in ensuring that the buildings project the right image for the organization, in protecting the visual impression that “well-maintained”
buildings give to occupants and the public at large.
It is useful to divide planned (preventative) maintenance into “condition independent” and “condition
dependent”. Condition-independent maintenance
(“cyclical maintenance”) requires no pre-inspection
and tends to be work that is undertaken at regular
intervals: external painting, annual safety checks,
clearing gutters, lubricating moving parts, removing plant growth and bird droppings, painting and
testing, etc. It may include work related to statutory or insurance requirements etc. Condition-dependent maintenance occurs when an element is
assessed through an inspection or a condition survey and the action to repair or maintain it is subsequently prioritized.
Clearly a management system based on conditiondependent maintenance is more complicated and
resource dependent, as it requires monitoring the
condition of materials, effective information collection, recording and management, and the development of an approach that involves decision making
informed by a determination of relative priorities.
Even with an efficient planned maintenance program, some form of user-initiated reactive (“response” or “day-to-day”) maintenance is inevitable.
This needs to be considered at both the strategic
and operational stages, in terms of establishing response criteria, timing, procurement and recording.
However, planned maintenance should be the overwhelmingly dominant approach, mainly because of
the need for a minimal intervention ethos, particularly as reactive maintenance, by definition, allows
failures to occur, and therefore entails the possible
loss of historic materials (clearly, however, some reactive maintenance is necessary to deal with emergencies and to respond to customer service needs).
Prioritization
Making decisions regarding relative and competing priorities is an important maintenance management process. Prioritizing work is important
from functional and cost perspectives in all organizations, but it should also take wider organiza-
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tional issues into account, such as the impact that
condition has on the overall performance of a particular asset (e.g. energy) or the overarching property strategy of the organization (e.g. corporate
image). It is important, therefore, to avoid a situation where the approach to maintenance management is driven by a process, especially one that emphasizes optimizing the efficiency of the process,
rather than by a clear strategy about the goal that
process is serving. In the case of historic buildings,
it is important to establish priorities that make cultural significance and, importantly, relative significance motivators of decision making. Prioritization
should take the assessment of cultural significance
of elements/components and their vulnerability as
a starting point, and link this to functional performance and cost issues (as well as the practical aspects of carrying out the work).
Planned maintenance programs can provide cost
savings, but they may work against the principle
of minimal intervention if they develop a logic and
momentum of their own.
For example:
►► by nature, repair and maintenance work consists
of a number of small jobs. Combining them for
economic reasons or other management priorities may result in repair work being undertaken
too early or maintenance work being undertaken too late.
►► because access costs (for scaffolding, etc.) are
high, both financially and in terms of loss of
function, this may lead to work being under-
SECTION 2 » Developing and applying policies and actions
taken that involves unnecessary damage to the
original materials, for example if the repair work
is undertaken before scaffolding is fully in place.
Another aspect of prioritization comes more directly from the issue of relative priorities. The logic
of a conservation plan is that relative significance
is attributed to the physical elements of the building or site. It follows that repair decisions should
not only take into account functional and technical
issues, but also a consideration of where one element might be “sacrificed” (through replacement
or early repair) in order to ensure the protection of
another element of greater cultural value. For example, a lead roof covering might be replaced or
repaired earlier than might be absolutely necessary
because its functional role includes the protection
of a stone exterior wall or a plaster ceiling which is
considered more important culturally.
Condition surveys
An essential element in any management process
is the carrying out of inspections which assess conditions, report any problems and decide actions.
Effective management can only develop through
knowledge of an asset, its problems, needs and the
life expectancy of the materials. In a maintenance
management system, the important information is
the state of the materials, and a condition survey
is a snapshot that provides information on physical
conditions. Condition surveys involve the systematic inspection of the materials of a building in order
to produce or allow for:
►► accurate information on their condition.
►► an assessment of the extent and timing of future
work.
►► a foundation for decisions on future planned
maintenance programs.
►► the opportunity to consider the effectiveness of
previous programs.
A good condition survey provides information
about the materials that are present in the asset,
about their condition, rate of degradation and remaining serviceable life, about the asset’s vulnerability (whether, for instance, to the elements, vandalism, mismanagement or to other causal factors
of decline), and about critical needs in the foreseeable future in terms of maintenance, protection,
repair, adaptation and investment. It also, importantly, takes into account an assessment of relative
significance and therefore considers what factors
might affect the vulnerability of important areas,
and asks such questions as:
Will early intervention/replacement/repair of an element of little or no significance increase the life of
an element of high significance?
Could functional changes protect significant but
vulnerable materials by, for example, changing
the function of a vulnerable area from one of high
physical impact to one of a lower physical impact?
(It should be noted though that, while the protection of elements of high significance is clearly important, it may be that those elements are more ro-
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Plaster in high towers is very expensive to repair. It is necessary to periodically thoroughly examine the condition of the plaster. The Stånga
church, Gotland, Sweden. Photo: Joakim Hansson.
bust than elements of lesser significance and therefore sometimes more attention needs to be given
to these “lesser” elements).
It is important that there be clarity about what information should be obtained from a condition
survey. There is a common tendency to collect too
much information without being clear about the
SECTION 2 » Developing and applying policies and actions
purpose, and this can act against clarity and therefore reduce the effectiveness of decision making.
In addition to what information is required and the
level of detail necessary, it is also important to consider:
►► the format in which the information is to be col-
lected and expressed.
►► the use(s) to which the information is to be put.
►► the manner in which information is to be stored,
retrieved and analyzed.
►► the nature and details of the other management
information that informs, and is informed by, the
surveys.
Frequency of Condition Surveys
It is common practice for detailed/major surveys
to be carried out every four or five years, and for
these surveys to be supplemented by annual or
six-monthly inspections (in Sweden, there is a legal
requirement for condition surveys to be carried out
every six years). Some have suggested that this is
too long a period for historic buildings because of
the key role that maintenance activity plays in preventing the unnecessary loss of historic materials.
Therefore, it is suggested that these major surveys
take place every three years, with smaller scale and
more focused surveys every year, or perhaps every
six months (see also reference to re-inspection below).
Condition surveys should, of course, be carried out
on objects and cemeteries, as well as on buildings.
It is necessary for the surveyor carrying out the condition survey to be provided with certain information before she/he proceeds. Examples of the type
and range of information which may be required is
given in Appendix F
Recommendations for condition surveys
As well as describing the condition of the building,
the condition survey report should classify actions
needed in terms of timescales, for example:
URGENT
Work required urgently for health and safety
reasons, to conform to statutory requirements
and/or to prevent imminent damage or to slow
rapid deterioration or damage to cultural
significance.
ESSENTIAL WITHIN MONTHS
OR A YEAR AT MOST
Work essential for health and safety reasons, to
conform to statutory requirements and/or
because a failure to do so would most likely result
in further damage or deterioration and increased
cost, or damage to cultural significance.
NECESSARY WITHIN A YEAR
OR TWO/THREE/FOUR/ etc. YEARS
Work necessary to keep the asset in good repair
and to maintain significance and functionality.
A DESIRABLE IMPROVEMENT
WITH NO TIMESCALE
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Re-inspection as a response/just-in-time action
Traditionally, condition surveys tend to result in the
need for repairs being identified based, broadly
speaking, on concerns about functional performance, aesthetic considerations and cost (including the cost efficiencies to be made by combining work projects). Therefore, they often identify
repairs as being urgent or specify a period within
which they should ideally be carried out based on
estimates of remaining life. The danger with this approach is that it may well operate contrary to the
philosophical concept of minimal intervention, as
it aims to set up a near-automatic process where
a rate of deterioration is predicted, a prioritization
for action is set (in other words, the task of future
repair is allocated to a particular year in the maintenance plan) and then acted upon at that future
date, whether or not it is strictly necessary at that
time. In other words, the “normal” conceptual approach to surveys is that, once a defect has been
identified by inspection, repair will be carried out
involving some kind of intervention on the building. Such an “automatic” approach does not necessarily make economic sense for every kind of building; instead, when dealing with built cultural heritage, it increases the risk of historic materials being
removed or “lost” unnecessarily. For historic stock,
the concept of “just in time” or “little and often”
maintenance may be the most appropriate way to
manage the risk of premature degradation of the
significance encapsulated within the building. Such
an approach implies that the frequency of inspections should be more closely tailored to the signifi-
SECTION 2 » Developing and applying policies and actions
cance and vulnerability of particular elements, materials or objects, and undertaken more regularly
when a significant item is nearing the end of its life.
This means, in practice, initiating a second tier of
surveys through focused re-inspection of non-critically defective or deteriorating materials that have
been identified in the previous periodic condition
survey, i.e. re-inspection may be the required action rather than automatic repair. By this process,
it is intended that essential repairs or replacements
of historic materials are deferred until unavoidable,
while ensuring that consequential damage to surrounding materials and elements is not allowed
to occur. The incorporation of second-tier survey
work also helps target precious (and often limited)
resources. Similarly, increasing the frequency of targeted inspections of elements near the end of their
lives is cost effective and minimizes risk.
Annual/six monthly inspections
These could be carried out by church staff or perhaps by a builder. They should be undertaken in a
logical manner (i.e. element by element) and the
results properly recorded in a maintenance logbook. It is best to use drawings that can be annotated (plus photographs where appropriate ) and
descriptive notes.
Role of non-technical staff
Condition surveys should be carried out by suitably qualified professionals. However, outside of
the condition survey cycle, the presence of non-
technical staff and other users and visitors on a
daily basis can provide the maintenance management function with vital information regarding
conditions which would otherwise be ignored until
a subsequent inspection cycle (or until failure becomes impossible to ignore). Utilizing building users and staff (wardens, cleaners, priests, custodians,
congregation members, choir members, security
guards etc.) can be extremely valuable. However,
such informal information still requires a coordinated strategy to collect, assess, process and store
these observations so that they may inform action
(i.e. the process is not cost or risk-free).
It should be remembered that listening to and reacting to occupants' observations has value over
and above the effect that this might have on the
condition of the building because it includes people, values their experience and invites them to
make a positive contribution to the protection of
“their” cultural asset. This is an important way of
helping to develop a widespread sense of “ownership” of built cultural heritage and the protection of
its significance.
Maintenance plans and
programs
Condition-dependent maintenance is planned and
programmed through the information gathered by
the major condition survey and the annual inspections, but there should also be a plan for carrying
out cyclical maintenance.
INDEX
36
This is not the best solution for completing a door lock. A modern
detail (now removed) had been added to a medieval iron decoration.
The Stånga church, Gotland, Sweden. Photo: Joakim Hansson.
Appendix G contains an example of a schedule for
cyclical maintenance .
Documentation
Some form of documentation regarding maintenance policy and actions is essential. Useful forms
of documentation include a manual which deals
with maintenance policies and procedures, and a
logbook which records actions and outcomes.
SECTION 2 » Developing and applying policies and actions
Maintenance manuals
A typical manual might contain:
►► extracts from the conservation plan showing
how the identification of cultural significance
has been re-contextualised and synthesized
with conservation principles, and how these
inform and direct maintenance objectives and
processes.
►► a breakdown of the elements of the site show-
ing relative significance (of the various buildings and the elements and components of each
building).
This should be supplemented by:
►► plans and elevations showing the site and build-
ings.
►► an architectural historical account.
►► a description of the materials used in the con-
struction of the buildings.
►► an identification of vulnerable points and areas
of risk from cultural and functional perspectives,
and an analysis of the interaction between the
two.
►► information on conditions, both general and de-
tailed, which is updated by surveys and inspection.
Maintenance Logbooks
These usually consist of current information on key
individuals (and their responsibilities). They should
also :
►► contain concise instructions on maintenance
and inspection routines.
►► document actions taken and record work car-
ried out.
►► note any defects found.
identify future maintenance actions.
The logbook can also be useful as a reflective document that helps in thinking about what went well
and what did not, and so inform future action.
Records and archives
Good information is vital for the effective management of listed buildings. Each organization generates records in the course of conducting daily
activities. The recording of processes and actions
is important in terms of developing management
information and informing decisions. The records
concerning church buildings and churchyards are
usually planning documents or conservation and
maintenance documents.
A general principle put into practice by legislative
means is that all the activities that cause alterations to a church building or churchyard must be
documented. Before undertaking a conservation
program, documentation should be compiled and
after the activities a report should be made to show
the content and scope of the work. Such documentation is kept in the archives of congregations and
relevant governmental bodies. The recording of
maintenance processes and activities is also a very
INDEX
37
important source of information for making conservation and management decisions. For historic
buildings, the keeping of proper records of decisions made, their context, and the reasoning behind them is an important conservation principle
because the maintenance and repair of materials
is part of the story of the historical development
of the site or building. Decisions made now, and
the reasoning behind the decisions, will also provide future generations with insight into the conservation awareness of current times. Maintenance
documents, therefore, are not only management
tools but they are also, or should become, important historical records for future generations. They
should be kept as part of the permanent record of
the building.
Security, e.g. fire, theft
and disasters
Fire precautions work at a number of levels. They
are taken primarily to protect life, and they do this
through trying to ensure effective means of escape,
and through a consideration of the performance
of materials in the event of a fire, in tandem with
active fire precautions (there can be trade-offs between active and passive precautions which are
important in respect to issues such as minimal intervention). In protecting materials, fire precautions
also help protect the functional and financial assets
that the building represents. In the case of built
cultural heritage, they also protect the cultural significance of the building. Where there is a conflict
SECTION 2 » Developing and applying policies and actions
To protect churches from fires, there are two important steps. The first is to maintain the technical
equipment and keep the standard at a modern and
safe level. It is also of importance to consider if all of
the electric installations in the building are necessary. A seldom-used church does not need a lot of
installations.
The other important step to avoid fires is to observe the surroundings of the church. There should
not be junk either outside or inside that can easily
catch fire. Doors should be locked when the church
is empty and unguarded. It is of great importance
to have the church actively under observation. Human observation is the best security measure you
can take.
Small fires can cause extensive damage. The Haljala church, Estonia.
Photo: Kaire Tooming.
The risk of fire can clearly be seen in this picture. A chandelier placed
near two carpets is a great risk. Usually this risk goes undetected. The
Ekeby church, Gotland. Photo: Joakim Hansson.
between fire protection and cultural significance,
As mentioned above, fire security measures should
be primarily designed to save lives and secondarily
to save the building. However, very few fires occur
when the church is filled with people; most fires
take place when the church is empty. There has not
been a church fire involving human victims in the
Nordic countries since the first half of the 19th century. The most common reasons for fires are pyromaniacs and defects in technical installations and
equipment.
it is important to take a holistic view of the performance of the building in a fire, and to relate this
to such approaches as “fire engineering”. It is also
important to link the options to the assessment of
significance, and therefore consider the extent to
which the value of the building will actually be undermined by interference with the materials and/or
the aesthetics of the place.
INDEX
38
Also, inside the church there is a danger of fire. Candles should be of high quality and used carefully.
Unattended candles have many times been the reason for smaller fires.
In the past, lightning was a great problem, but today most churches are equipped with lightning
conductors. It is of course of great importance that
these are regularly inspected and that all metal
parts, such as bells, are connected to them.
There are different kinds of sprinkler systems for
fire protection. In most churches, there are fire extinguishers. These should be easily accessible, in
a way that does not disturb the historical interior.
Foam-type extinguishers are safer to use than powder-type extinguishers, in terms of protecting cultural value. Also signs for fire exits can be designed
SECTION 2 » Developing and applying policies and actions
to fit the interior. These should be designed in cooperation with local fire departments.
A church is usually sectioned off into different fire
sections. Between these sections, fire doors, openings and canalization are necessary. When plans for
security are drawn up, it is important that items of
cultural value are not disturbed or destroyed.
►► Using sprinklers in churches requires pipe in-
stallations. These are difficult to hide and usually disturb interiors. Sprinkler systems require
maintenance and this is sometimes expensive.
It should also be considered if there is a need
for water or fog-type sprinklers. The inclusion
of water systems in historical buildings is always
problematic.
There should also be a preventive fire plan. In this
plan, items of cultural value should be identified
and the position of the most valuable movable objects should be marked. There should also be special equipment for evacuating certain movables, for
example stone fonts.
Despite the best precautions, disasters can happen.
It is impossible to totally protect a building. After a
disaster, it is very important to attend to surviving
items of value.
Theft has always been a problem. Communion silver has always been locked up in secure cupboards.
Since the Second World War, thefts have become
more common. These are of two kinds. The first is
the planned theft of important pieces of art. The
second is snatching souvenirs from a church, for
example pieces of decorations. Pieces of art can
be secured by different alarm systems, and smaller
pieces can be exhibited in secure cupboards. The
easiest way to prevent the theft of small pieces is to
lock them up. But it is very difficult to prevent theft
by souvenir snatchers. The best way is to guard the
interior and secure loose pieces.
There are a lot of different theft alarm systems.
The best alarm system depends on the needs of a
particular church. What is really needed? The main
concern is to protect the most valuable pieces of
art. The installation of these alarm systems should
be done with care.
A new kind of theft is stealing copper plates from
roofs. This is very difficult to prevent. The only way
to prevent it is to have full-time security guards.
Despite the use of security systems for fires, thefts
etc., disasters always occur. These may be terrorist
attacks, fires, earthquakes or floods. It is very difficult to prepare for the unexpected. Earthquakes occurred during the medieval times even in northern
Europe. Due to climate change, floods will become
an even more serious problem.
Use and reuse
Perhaps the greatest threat to historic buildings
generally comes about when they fall out of use or
their present use is no longer viable. In such cases,
a new use needs to be found. There may also be
situations where it becomes necessary and even
desirable to make the existing space more multi-
INDEX
39
functional, while still retaining the original use. The
motivation for introducing multiple uses may be
purely economic or it may be that it helps achieve
the goals of the organization; for example, churches may want to attract a wider section of the community or develop outreach services.
Another aspect of spatial and functional use involving the assessment of cultural significance is a situation in which it is decided that a particular existing function has a negative impact on the cultural
significance of a place, perhaps because of physical wear and tear on materials through intense use,
or perhaps a more intangible situation, such as
creating an atmosphere which is at odds with the
character of the building. The assessment of significance may point to a requirement, or indeed opportunities, to reorder activities or relocate them to
other spaces within the site, in order to protect, or
hopefully enhance, cultural significance.
Clearly it is necessary to refer to the assessment of
cultural significance in making any decisions about
functional or spatial changes, enlarging the building or developing a new use. The identification of
the relative significance of parts or elements of a
building is an important process in assessing the
likely impact of change on the cultural significance
of a place. It may also be useful to carry out a sensitivity analysis, i.e. to consider how sensitive parts of
a place are to intervention or change; it may well be
that the most culturally significant parts of a place
are relatively strong while elements or spaces that
are deemed of lesser, perhaps moderate, significance may be more vulnerable to change.
SECTION 2 » Developing and applying policies and actions
It is important to consider the needs of the staff. Here the area under
the organ balcony is used for making coffee and as a storage room. The
Stånga church, Gotland, Sweden. Photo: Joakim Hansson.
Fitting the activities and needs of the 21st century into historical
churches should be carefully considered. The atmosphere of the interior of this exceptional Nordic renaissance church is disturbed by the
children’s playground, which is located at the central axis of the building. Kristianstad, the Holy Trinity church, Sweden. Photo: Kaire Tooming
Reuse of redundant church buildings is not a new phenomenon. The
congregation of the St. Nikolaj church in Copenhagen was dissolved in
1805 and since then the church has served different public functions.
Today it is a contemporary art centre. Nikolaj Kunsthal, Copenhagen
Contemporary Art Centre. Photo: Kaire Tooming
It is also necessary to use conservation principles
(see earlier in the guidelines) as a framework for
making judgments about the acceptability of functional and spatial changes.
number of questions (which of course may have/
should have been included in the assessment of
significance), such as:
►► Has the church gone through any changes that
►► What role has the church played for the local
►► What changes are desired by the congregation?
Given the cultural, spiritual, historic and symbolic
roles of churches within the landscape and for the
local community, it is important that members of
the local community are consulted on any proposed changes. In assessing the acceptability of
proposed changes in use, it is important to ask a
community?
►► Why is reuse necessary (i.e. why is it not being
adequately used at present)?
►► Has the church gone through any changes that
have been negative in the view of the congregation and the wider community?
INDEX
40
have been positive in the view of the congregation and the wider community?
►► What changes/new uses might be opposed by
the congregation and/or the wider community?
►► What are the obstacles to proposed new uses?
A general conservation principle is that the original
use of a place is the most appropriate one, and cer-
SECTION 2 » Developing and applying policies and actions
tainly where the use of a place is of cultural significance it should be retained. However, modern-day
requirements for a particular original use may be
more damaging or intrusive to a place than finding
a new use.
mean one that fits well within the physical space of
the church because it has the same functional requirements as the church, i.e. the bringing together
of a group of people in one space with ancillary
functions allocated to smaller peripheral spaces.
If a place is to have a new use, it should be compatible with the significance of the buildings and
spaces. Perhaps the most essential judgments
about compatibility should be made in relation to,
for example, whether the historic materials will be
damaged as a result of changes, and/or whether
significant spatial layouts will be altered. However
compatibility should also be judged on the basis
of whether more intangible characteristics, such
as atmosphere, may be harmed by the proposals.
For many places, the materials may be left intact
by changes but the sense of place may be lost: for
example, when the significance lies in the activities and the atmosphere they created, and not the
building itself. There may also be situations where
the proposed new use is ethically, symbolically or
spiritually at odds with the original use, for example
using a church for housing may be appropriate but
using it as a nightclub may not. While finding a new
use may be absolutely necessary to the continued
use of a place from a financial perspective, if the
main, or a major aspect of cultural significance is
related to the type of use then clearly this will be
problematic.
Introducing more uses into a place while retaining
the original function is often easily achievable in
buildings such as churches because as spaces they
are often amenable to community activities, such
as meetings, workshops, lectures and concerts.
Often such activities can be accommodated with
little or no interference to the materials or sense of
place. However, issues associated with, for instance
, the storage of equipment and materials (such as
extra seating) or the poorly thought out additions
of audio and other devices can be problematic aspects of what seems at first sight to be a low impact
activity. However, such activities can often extend
the use of the church building while still retaining
its active religious function.
In allowing for a change in use, the placing of restrictions on future uses should be considered.
English Heritage uses the term “single vessel use”
to indicate the most suitable new use. By this they
Where the religious function is no longer required
or viable, perhaps the most desirable new uses are
community uses, because they tend to be low impact in terms of their effect on the space and materials of the building, but also because they fit more
closely into the function of a religious building.
The problem with such uses is that often they are
not financially viable. However, it is often possible
to find shared uses which combine more commercial activities (such as offices or studio space) with
community functions. These might be regarded as
medium impact solutions. Other medium impact
INDEX
41
solutions include those that interfere least with the
materials or space of the building; examples of such
functions that have been successful include climbing centers, circus schools and restaurants. High
impact solutions may be the least desirable from
both religious and heritage perspectives, but they
are often the most commercially viable. Reusing
churches as housing is often a commercially viable
reuse but achieving adequate housing standards
often means unacceptable interventions in the spatial qualities of the building.
Some reuses have been achieved by inserting a
whole new structure within an original space in
such a way that it does not damage materials (minimal intervention), is constructed of modern materials with a modern design (honest intervention)
and can be dismantled and removed (reversibility
– even though if successful it will became part of
the story of the place).
One option is to sell or rent the church to other
religious congregations. From a building management point of view, this allows for the sustainable
use and preservation of the building. However, the
religious and political implications should be carefully considered in each case.
SECTION 2 » Developing and applying policies and actions
SECTION 3
Delivering and managing the CMP
Getting started
The Conservation Management Plan should be
drawn up by experienced heritage professionals.
The specialist skills required depend on the nature of the place. As churches and churchyards are
complex places, a multi-disciplinary team might be
necessary. The specialists involved in the process
should have competence in many fields, including
conservation, legislation, planning, building archeology, art history and liturgy.
The owner of the place should assemble the team
responsible for the compilation of the CMP. This is
the body that will set it up, commission the document, involve the right people and read and comment on the draft CMP. The process should begin
by identifying and consulting the major stakeholders and interested parties, such as:
►► the central body of the denomination
►► local community
►► National Heritage Board
►► community groups
►► neighbors
Those who are directly involved in taking care of
the church or using it should also be included. This
list is not exhaustive and it will vary case by case.
The important part of the process is to bring people
together and organize information.
For the commissioning of the CMP, this body
should put together a brief that generally describes
the place and explains the needs of the CMP. The
boundaries of the place should be clearly identified
by adding a plan to the brief. In addition, all materials relevant to the site must be included in the
brief (e.g. measured drawings and inventories). The
owners or others responsible for commissioning
the CMP should assemble the relevant documents
from their own archives and make them available
to the specialists who will deliver the CMP.
The compilation of a CMP can be quite a large undertaking. It requires time and funding. It depends
on the complexity of the church, the amount of information already available and the level of understanding of the significance of the place (although
it should never be assumed that such an understanding is complete).
►► specialists groups or individuals
A good CMP:
►► conservation architect
►► is prepared with the specific place and user in mind
INDEX
42
►► is concise
►► is thorough enough to produce an understand-
ing of the place
►► is written in plain language
►► is well-structured and easy to use
►► includes clear policies that provide useful guidance.
Financing the CMP
A conservation management plan carried out according to these guidelines requires a lot of work,
not only from the parish but also from outside experts. Finances have to be secured beforehand.
Considering the costs of maintenance and operation over a long time period, the cost of a conservation management plan is generally quite small. It
may be convenient to make the plan in conjunction
with major restoration projects.
The financing of the CMP is in many cases problematic for small congregations. The biggest problem
is fund-raising. The initial CMP, in which all the facts
are collected, is the most expensive; revisions are
usually much cheaper.
In Estonia, the congregations have to arrange the
financing for the CMP themselves.
SECTION 3 » Delivering and managing the CMP
Communication
The communication aims are to keep all partners
informed, and raise the awareness of congregations and local communities about the sustainable
management of historic rural churches.
There are internal and external target groups,
which are divided according to their interests in the
project:
►► those whose interests are affected by the issue
or those whose activities strongly affect the issue
►► those who possess information, resources and
expertise needed for strategy formulation and
implementation
►► those who control relevant implementation
Information should be seen as the starting point for communication, which means
delivering the message to the different target
groups in a suitable, interesting and understandable
way. By doing this, the information becomes knowledge, paving the way for new insights and an increase in interest. There is a strong need to support
communication activities in order to show citizens
concrete examples and explain where and how the
CMP will lead to benefits.
There is a special need to make the aims, means and
results of the project well known to different levels of the surrounding society. As important as the
results of the CMP are, their impacts will become
much more significant if they are communicated to
the “outside world” efficiently.
Internal communication is an integral part of the
communication plan, as it sets out a clear framework for how the work within the building will be
coordinated.
very active in taking initiative, often without asking the board of the congregation. The actions of
priests usually concern liturgical matters, but these
can also lead to big changes in historical churches.
Implementation
Another important group is the employers of the
congregation. They are usually familiar with most
of the practical matters, for example where ramps
are needed, and where there is a need for lighting.
It's important to include their views because they
focus on the smooth functioning of the practical
daily life of the church.
Implementation of the CMP often receives insufficient attention; many plans end up as useless paper. There are many groups involved in the maintenance and use of a church. All of them are important and should be a part of the process of creating
the CMP. There are different ways of doing this. It
is also important to communicate with heritage offices to confirm that none of the aims violate preservation priorities.
The most important groups are the priests, the
people working in the church and the cemetery,
the board of the congregation, the board of the
parish and the members of the congregation.
It is advisable at the beginning of the work to present the aims of the plan to the congregation, which
should feel that the initial, or at least the final, plan
meets their needs. All concerned parties have to be
involved. The leaders of the congregation and the
members of the congregation board have the responsibility to involve all other groups in the development of the management plan.
The ordinary members of the congregation are
usually a forgotten group. There have been several
restoration projects where the average members
felt that they were not involved in the process. Another important group is the priests. The priests are
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43
The writer of the management plan should collect
all the facts from these groups and put them together and consider how realistic the requests are.
After making a preliminary plan, the writer should
present the plan to all groups separately to avoid
the risk of neglecting the wishes of some group/
groups.
During the process of making the plan, there should
be several meetings to implement the aims. Finally,
the plan must be presented to the congregation
and to all those concerned. The plan must also be
approved by the congregation, the diocese and the
heritage offices.
The plan must be preserved as a living document.
It has to be used in the daily work at the church. Every year the congregation should refer back to the
plan, and new concerns should be collected for use
in the updating of the plan. It is advisable to update
the plan every six years (this is required by Swedish
law).
SECTION 3 » Delivering and managing the CMP
REFERENCES
Avrami et al, 2000. Values and Heritage Conservation. Getty Conservation Institute. Los Angeles.
Australia ICOMOS 1999. The Burra Charter. Australia ICOMOS. Deakin University,Burwood Victoria.
English Heritage, 2008. Conservation Principles, Policies and Guidance for the Sustainable Management of the Historic Environment. English Heritage. London.
INDEX
44
References
APPENDICES
APPENDICES
APPENDIX A
Checklist for making
an inventory of church
buildings and contents
−− Organs
Security systems
−− Objects used for special services such as
►► Fire alarms, sprinklers, signs and other fire equip-
The following is an excerpt from a checklist for that
was used for an inventory on Gotland.
−−
Building description
►► Main architectural styles
►► Main outlooks and forms
►► Extraordinary elements of the building (stone
masonry, portals, materials, wood carvings, windows, doors, etc.)
Fixtures and fittings (made by a professional)
►► Altars, pulpit, benches and balconies (when constructed, styles and sites)
►► Wall paintings
►► Other parts of fixtures and fittings
Objects (made by a professional)
►► Main objects
►► The assessment of the objects
►► Using a structured list:
−− Altar piece
−− Crucifix
−− Number boards and numbers
−−
−−
−−
−−
−−
−−
−−
−−
−−
−−
−−
−−
christenings, communion and weddings
Objects used for lighting
Textiles
Art objects
Epitaphs
Furniture
Musical instruments
Clocks
Books
Older building details
Older doors etc
Roof decorations
Bells
Other objects
Technical installations (made by professionals)
►► Electrical systems
►► Lightning conductors
►► Heating system
►► Loudspeakers, microphones
►► Automatic bell-ringing systems
►► Plumbing (toilets etc.)
►► Ventilation
►► Elevators
INDEX
45
Appendices
ment
►► Medical equipment
►► Burglar alarm system
►► Evacuations plans: systems for people and art
objects
Items for the disabled
►► Ramps
►► Elevators
►► Signs
►► Other installations, for example toilets for the
disabled, door openers etc.
Cemeteries (items made by professionals)
►► Short history, including main structures
►► Inventory of graves, with cultural values
►► Walls and fences
►► Trees and plants
►► Paths and materials
►► Memorial lanes
►► Other monuments and structures
►► Furniture
►► Disabled access
►► Other buildings
►► Technical installations (water supply etc.)
►► Information boards (Historical and other infor-
mation: opening hours etc.)
APPENDIX B
Examples of documentary
materials for value
assessment
Using these lists involves choosing the best options, according to financial resources, to create a
CMP that suits a particular situation.
Primary material
►► Photographs
(including
aerial)
and
post-
cards. +
►► Archeological excavation and scientific reports+
►► List of descriptions, Register of Parks and Gar-
►► Surveys (including land surveys and existing de-
velopment surveys)
dens, etc.+
+ = the most important sources
►► Estate records
►► Wills and the evidence of bequests of property
Secondary material
►► Land registration records, title deeds and mort-
Secondary material may include:
gage deeds
►► Books and indexes
►► Illustrations, including paintings. +
►► Leases
►► Histories
►► Parish records, for example registrations of
►► Inland revenue valuations
►► Architectural commentaries
►► Electoral registers
►► Transactions of archaeological societies
►► Poor Law records, including settlement exami-
►► Archaeological and other treatises
births, baptisms, marriages, deaths and burials/
cremations. ►► Written material produced by individuals or the
organizations who commissioned, designed,
built and occupied (and changed) the place over
time (correspondence, reports, minutes of committee meetings, specifications of work, contractors’ invoices, etc). +
►► Personal Letters and diaries
►► Census data
►► Trade directories ►► Newspapers and journals
►► Maps +
►► Plans and drawings +
nations and orders
►► Historic environment records
►► Property terriers
►► Records of trades, businesses and professions,
including guilds and livery companies
►► Licensing of inns and various shops and busi-
nesses
►► Taxation records, (e.g. seventeenth to nineteenth
century window taxes and land tax records)
►► Civil and Ecclesiastical Court records, especially
those of the Court of Chancery, Criminal and
Magistrate Courts, and Quarter Sessions
►► Coroners’ records
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46
Appendices
►► Other conservation plans, research and profes-
sional reports, dissertations and theses
APPENDIX C
Official sources of
documentary material for
churches in Sweden and
Estonia
Historical information about churches can be found
in different archives. To find the important facts to
write the history of the church, it is very important
to know how the church administration and the administration of the national heritage boards have
been organized over time.
The most important archive is, of course, the archive of the congregation. The newer parts of the
archive are usually partly stored at the administration office of the congregation, but in many cases
most of the older parts of archives are located in
national archives and their local branches. In Sweden, the National Board of Heritage includes the
Antiquarian and Topographic Archive, situated in
Stockholm. This archive contains most documents
concerning restorations and documentation of
Swedish churches. The National Board, since 1666,
has been in charge of documentation and was,
through 1994, the state office responsible for items
of historical value and state decisions for restorations of churches. In 1995 the county administration boards was assigned these tasks and the Na-
tional Board now only has overview responsibility.
Also, county museums and county administration
boards (after 1994) have important archives concerning churches.
The National Archive also contains the archive of
the Administration Board of State Buildings. At this
office, most of the historical restoration plans have
been drawn up and implemented. There is also a
large amount of printed literature about churches.
In Estonia, the main archive for documentation
concerning the conservation of churches is the
archive of the National Heritage Board, situated in
Tallinn. The documents collected there come mainly from the period after the Second World War. The
archives of congregations can be found in the Estonian Historical Archives and in the central archives
of denominations.
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Appendices
APPENDIX D
Examples of value
typologies
The Swedish typology model is based on a book
written by Axel Unnerbäck and Per Lierud, published by the Swedish National Heritage Board.
Documentary value includes a group of historicalbased criteria that are dependent on the knowledge of the assessor. This means that they can
change over time, because of new knowledge and
different needs of those involved.
►► Experience value includes a group of subtle
qualities, such as aesthetic and social values.
►► Reinforcing motifs for valuation are motifs that
reinforce the other values, such as quality, authenticity and pedagogical motifs.
Documentary value, or historical qualities:
►► Historic building
►► Building techniques
►► Architectural history
►► Community history
►► Social history
►► Personal history
►► Technical history
Experience value; aesthetic and social:
►► Architectural
►► Artistic
►► Patina
►► Environmental
►► Identity
►► Continuity
►► Traditional
►► Symbolic
Reinforcing motifs for valuation
►► Quality
►► Authentic
►► Educational
►► Rarity
►► Representative
Burra Charter (Australia)
The following is a summary from the Burra charter.1
Aesthetic: Aesthetic value includes aspects of sensory perception for which criteria can and should
be stated. Such criteria may include consideration
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Appendices
of the form, scale, color, texture and materials; the
smells and sounds associated with the place and its
use.
Historic: Historic value encompasses the history of
aesthetics, science and society (and therefore to a
large extent underlies all of the values). . . A place
may have historic value because it has influenced,
or has been influenced by, an historic figure, event,
phase or activity. It may also have historic value as
the site of an important event. For any given place
the significance will be greater where evidence of
the association or event survives in situ or where
the settings are substantially intact than where it
has been changed or evidence has not survived.
However, some events or associations may be so
important that the place retains significance regardless of subsequent treatment.
Scientific: The scientific or research value of the
place will depend on the importance of the data
involved, on its rarity, quality or representativeness
and on the degree to which the place may contribute further substantial information.
Social value: Social value embraces the qualities
for which a place has become a focus of spiritual,
political, national or other cultural sentiment to a
majority or minority group.
English Heritage
The following is a summary from guidelines proved
by the English heritage.2
English Heritage, 2008. Conservation Principles, Policies and Guidance for the Sustainable Management of
the Historic Environment. English Heritage. London.
In 2007 English to be added Heritage proposed a
“family” of values under headings which it explains
as follows:
Evidential: Evidential value relates to the potential
of a place to yield primary evidence about a past
human activity. [The document subdivides this
family heading into “Natural” and “Cultural”.]
Historical: Historical value relates to the ways in
which the present can be connected through a
place to past people, events and aspects of life.
[The document subdivides this into “Illustrative”
and “Associational”.]
Aesthetic: Aesthetic value relates to the way in
which people derive sensory and intellectual stimulation from a place. [The document subdivides
this into “Design”, “Artistic”, “Artless Beauty” and
“Sublime”.]
Communal: Communal value relates to the meanings of a place for the people who relate to it, and
whose collective experience or memory it holds.
Communal values are closely bound up with historical (particularly associational) and aesthetic values,
but tend to have additional and specific aspects.
[The document subdivides this into “Commemorative/Symbolic”, “Social” and “Spiritual”.]
The English Heritage document reinforces the
point that we made earlier when it states that these
are “not intended as the definitive checklist of heritage values but to prompt comprehensive thought
about the values of a place.”
1
Australia ICOMOS (1999) The Burra Charter. Australia ICOMOS.
2
English Heritage, 2008. Conservation Principles, Policies and Guidance for the Sustainable Management of the Historic Environment. English Heritage. London.
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Appendices
APPENDIX E
Some examples of
factors which may affect
the vulnerability of the
significance of a place
►► The poor physical condition of the place (which
may require funds but might also be related to
poor maintenance management)
►► Management of the site generally
►► Lack of financial resources and/or lack of certain-
ty, to the extent that there is little ability to plan
effectively
►► Tourism levels, which are unsustainable because
of physical degradation or because of damage
to the atmosphere and sense of place
►► Insufficient access (generally and for specific
groups, such as the disabled)
►► Lack of development land for expansion (per-
haps to deal with a need to increase visitor numbers or provide for better interpretation facilities)
►► Incompatible existing policies or actions of the
users which do, or may, detract from the significance of the place
►► Socioeconomic factors that affect the viability of
the site, which might mean that there will be a
need to find new uses for the site
►► Traffic volumes producing levels of atmospheric
pollution that will cause unacceptable levels of
deterioration of the materials
►► Changes to the natural environment (flood lev-
els, coastal erosion, etc.)
►► Loss of context and meaning of the site because
of developments taking place which detract
from an understanding of and/or the aesthetic
value of the place
►► Vandalism
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Appendices
APPENDIX F
Information required for
carrying out condition
surveys
Those carrying out condition surveys require:
►► Previous survey data
►► History of major repairs for the preceding 10+
years
►► Details of all work undertaken since the previous
condition survey
−− Maintenance manual and logbooks
►► Maintenance plan
►► Site plan
►► Accurate floor and roof plans
►► Elevational drawings and sections, if available
►► The conservation plan, conservation statement,
►► A health and safety plan, identifying known or
perceived risks related to the site of which the
surveyor should be aware
−− Copy of reports on electrical systems, fire and
security systems, heating systems, lightning
conductors and emergency lighting .
►► Copies of access, fire safety or any other current
assessments of the site in use
−− Copy of Access and Disability Audit Report.
−− Copy of Fire Risk Assessment.
−− Copy of Health & Safety Risk Assessment.
−− The church buildings' insurance policy.
−− Inventory of fixtures, fittings and furniture.
►► Ecological data on the known presence of pro-
tected or otherwise vulnerable species that may
be disturbed or damaged during the conducting of the survey inspection
statement of significance or other assessment of
the cultural value and special interest of the site
►► The current management plan or, if this does
not exist, the specific conservation policies that
the management organization or building manager applies to the place
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Appendices
APPENDIX G
An example of a schedule for cyclical maintenance.
In case there are national or local standards and
guidelines, they should be applied
Reference to be added
CYCLICAL MAINTENANCE
Cleaning gutters and drainpipes
SCHEDULE
every six months
Servicing heating boiler
annually
Testing lightning protection system
annually
Fire extinguisher servicing
annually
Fire and smoke detection system
annually
Portable appliance testing
varies
Electrical testing
every 5 years
Repainting exterior woodwork/metalwork
every 3 years
Removing plant growth from materials
every 3 years
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52
Appendices
Tallinn, December 2013
ISBN 978-9949-33-478-0 (pdf)